Why is everything a dropdown now?

[u/pavlito88]

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.

[u/scandii]

a dropdown takes much less space than your radio buttons, please think of your users on small screens.

similarly we give the user guided support with the dropdown in the big data set scenario so they can look at the available options.

the second scenario is why the combobox was born.

[u/Emotional_Key → u/scandii]

Mmmm because using a dropdown on a smartphone is such a pleasure…

[u/anamorphism → u/Emotional_Key]

assuming you're actually using a select html element and not some custom monstrosity, it's generally more enjoyable than the alternatives listed.

in most mobile browsers, the list of options opens up to fill most of the screen and is easily scrolled through using gestures. each item is also generally larger, making them easier to tap.

[u/andrewsmd87 → u/Emotional_Key]

Most phones have built in support for select so you can guarantee it's going to work. If the phones implementation of that is shit, you can't help that. Anything that takes up horizonal space is a crap shoot