Checkboxes, Radio Buttons, and Drop Downs
Incorrect usage of checkboxes, radio buttons, and drop downs is one of the most common mistakes I come across. They each have their advantages and disadvantages, and their usage should generally be governed by a few simple guidelines.
Checkboxes
Anytime you have 2 options where one selection implies that the other is not selected, a checkbox should be your first choice in order to consolidate and simplify. For instance, radio buttons with “Yes” and “No” as options are generally redundant and a waste of space when it can be replaced by a simple statement accompanied by a checkbox.
The exceptions to this guideline are when you have good reason to explicitly state the options or it is more natural in the context of the page or application to offer explicit “Yes” and “No” choices.
Radio Buttons
Radio buttons are ideal for situations where you have 3-5 options. Any more than 5 options and your decision will most likely depend on the amount of available screen real estate. If you have less than 3 options, a checkbox is probably more appropriate.
Radio buttons are also beneficial when you need to provide additional contextual help for each choice. For instance if you have a choice for a “Gold”, “Silver”, or “Bronze” plan, you might want to provide a couple of sentences about each to help users make informed decisions.
Drop Downs
Drop downs should be a last resort. They can slow people down because you must click on them before you see your options. Then you need to click again to select that option which may or may not have moved if you had to scroll within the drop down.
With radio buttons or checkboxes, your options are always visible and only require one click or press of the space bar. This convenience can quickly add up to save time and reduce keystrokes.
The value in drop downs is saving screen real estate when there are multiple options. I generally classify multiple options as being more than 5, but this is a grey area and can vary depending on the value of your screen real estate.
Summary
There are appropriate uses for each of these input fields, and understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each can help you build better applications and forms. Naturally, with any adjustment in the type of field you use, label adjustments will be necessary and can go a long way in making your forms easier to use. These aren’t definitive rules by any means. They are simply guidelines to help make your decisions regarding input types a little more informed.
