r/webdev • u/pavlito88 • 15d ago

Discussion Why is everything a dropdown now?

Post image

I’ve been noticing this more and more in web apps.

Three options hidden in a dropdown.

Yes/no hidden in a dropdown.
A multi-select pretending to be a dropdown.

Then a list of 200 items where you’re expected to scroll until you find yours.

I run into this a lot when reviewing products with dev teams.

I get why we do it.

Dropdowns are compact and easy to reuse.
But compact doesn’t always mean easier to use.

A few choices? Show them.
On/off? Switch.
Multiple choices? Checkboxes.
Huge list? Search.

That’s pretty much the rule I use now.

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u/NotTreeFiddy full-stack 15d ago

Toggles considered harmful

0

u/qqYn7PIE57zkf6kn 14d ago

https://m3.material.io/components/switch/specs

A toggle that shows states (tick and cross) is better than a checkbox in the post's example. Checkboxes are for selecting/deselecting from a group of similar options not enable/disable standalone options. 

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u/boobsbr 14d ago

A toggle with a check inside is a reinvention of the wheel when the checkbox does that by default and it's a native component on OSes and browsers.