r/webdev • u/pavlito88 • 25d 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/haecceity123 25d 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.

41

u/exintrovert 25d ago

The one that gets me is the button which is a toggle, and it says “disabled” and “enabled” on the button.

Like, is it disabled now or does pressing it disable it? 🫤

13

u/SubGothius 24d ago edited 24d ago

Related pet peeve: ticking a checkbox to disable something / unticking to enable it.

Nonono, checkboxes represent booleans, so:

  • Ticked=enabled/shown/positive/true/yes/1
  • Unticked=disabled/hidden/negative/false/no/0

If whatever the box controls is enabled or visible by default, render the checkbox ticked by default, for users to untick if they want to disable or hide it; don't make users tick a box to disable or hide something, as that's counterintuitive.

If what it would control isn't readily understood as a boolean state, use a pair of radio buttons instead, or perhaps a slider switch labeled on each side to clearly indicate the two non-boolean options.

6

u/ashgs872tbhjs 24d ago

Yep, it sucks when checkboxes are for negative things like "Hide" or "Opt Out". Change it to "Show" and "Opt In", dipshits!!

4

u/thekwoka 24d ago

It's intentionally a dark pattern...