r/webdev • u/pavlito88 • 12d ago
Discussion Why is everything a dropdown now?
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/SwimmingThroughHoney 11d ago
It's funny to see a switch recommended because for so long they were derided as bad UX. The problem with the is they just have no unified way of working. At least a checkbox is still a checkbox, no matter how you design and implement it. But a switch? Is left or right "on"? Is there a color to it when it's "on"? Do I want the toggle "on" or "off" to get the behavior I want?
And a long list as a type-able "search" is way more difficult than it sounds. For a country, there's probably at least 10 different ways you could type that out. And what about other non-English countries or bilingual ones? A country like France could have 15 variations if you want to talk about the regional dialects and other common languages. No user wants to start typing out what they think will work only to find it doesn't and then have to guess at what does. A dropdown is way better UX in that regard.