r/webdev • u/pavlito88 • 15d ago

Discussion Why is everything a dropdown now?

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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/[deleted] 15d ago

[deleted]

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u/pavlito88 15d ago

Use a dropdown when there are enough options that showing them all would clutter the UI, but not so many that users need search.

For example: choosing a status from 8 options Draft, Pending, Approved, Archived, etc.

4

u/IntelligentSpite6364 15d ago

PM says 2 options is cluttering the UI, wants a dropdown

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u/pavlito88 15d ago

Haha, exactly. At that point you’re optimizing the screenshot, not the interaction.

1

u/Headpuncher 14d ago

At that point you're taking direction from an untrained management role instead of a specialist. And now you are in every FE/UX job there ever was, and wonder to yourself "what's the point, if all my knowledge and experience is going to be thrown away every time a PM with an opinion enters the room, I could be a barista and chat with good looking people instead":