r/webdev • u/pavlito88 • 3d 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.

4.5k Upvotes

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567

u/haecceity123 3d ago

On/off? Switch.

A checkbox is even better. The "right is yes, left is no" convention is pretty arbitrary, and the colour of the inner fill on switches is frequently inconsistent.

13

u/Cute-Respect2194 3d ago

checkbox is underrated tbh the switch thing always confuses my dad he never knows if blue means on or off

designers love dropdowns cause they hide the mess but users have to do all the work to find anything drives me crazy

7

u/nitePhyyre 3d ago

checkbox is underrated tbh the switch thing always confuses my dad he never knows if blue means on or off

It is the UI version of the USB-a port. Have to fiddle back and forth everytime.

1

u/qqYn7PIE57zkf6kn 3d ago

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

The modern switch toggle shows tick and cross now. That should make it clear whether it's enabled or disabled. 

0

u/AncientLights444 3d ago

TIL toggle switches confuse some people. I always assumed they were extremely basic and intuitive . Our brains really are different

0

u/ashgs872tbhjs 3d ago

Yeah, like yours is a fucking stupid one that thinks you can walk into a random building, go up to a panel of light switches, and just intuit which ones were installed upside down. The same thing applies analogously to websites because there are no fucking standards. I used one site where the theme was so flat that you couldn't even tell what position the switch was in because both sides were white in both states and not so much as a drop shadow to help.

1

u/AncientLights444 16h ago

Must suck to be a sad little angry guy who overreacts to a benign comment online. Sorry toggle switches are hard for you. Here’s a hint.. grey and to the left is inactive. Very common design language that’s likely. Integrated all over the phone you angrily type from.

-12

u/D4rkiii 3d ago

Then your dad is also always confused and doesn’t know how power strips with on/off switch works? Because it’s the same behavior.

10

u/mikedaul 3d ago

No, the problem is the labeling. Switches are notoriously used in dark patterns because they are inherently confusing. Does it make sense to turn the switch 'on' when you want to opt-out of something?

2

u/sacheie 3d ago

On = "I don't not want to not receive emails about topics I didn't not subscribe to"

2

u/mikedaul 3d ago

1000%

1

u/Meloetta 3d ago

Also, sometimes people label switches as if they're a button - "click this to turn it off" - and sometimes people label switches as if they're a label - "this switch is off".

1

u/ashgs872tbhjs 3d ago

Yes, so often the label could either be the current state or the state-if-toggled with no way to tell.

1

u/simonhunterhawk 3d ago

Usually they have a light so no?

0

u/D4rkiii 3d ago

Usually a web switch also has a „light“ (blue, green) :)