Single checkbox or yes/no radio button

Question

For the form items below, which interface control is the best option? A single checkbox or yes/no radio button?

Read EWLS advice letter?
Checked images / report on PACS / CRIS?
Pacemaker?
Unable to localise stone

Answer 1

It would be helpful to get more context around the question and what the user is trying to accomplish. Checkboxes can work and can probably be faster for the user to fill out the form since there will be fewer options to visually inspect. If you are going to go with checkboxes you might need to add clarifying text. e.g. What does "pacemaker" mean? Does it mean a patient has a pacemaker/pacemaker was checked? Just so that when the user checks the options they know what it actually means. Keeping keywords at the beginning of the checkbox would also be good e.g.

• EWLS advice letter read
• Image checked
• PACS reported
• CRIS reported
• Pacemaker present
• Stones not localised

Answer 2

My rules of thumb:

If you need to make sure the user actually did consider all available options, you need radio buttons (or checkboxes that behave like):

Did you read the entire contract?............[ ] Yes [ ] No
Twice?.......................................[ ] Yes [ ] No

If this does not apply: Checkbox if the opposite is obvious (usually: label mentions an action, if unchecked that action is not taken, wiht no other side effects).

Otherwise, radio buttons to describe the alternatives.

[x] Include Lunch

(*) Italian
( ) Indian

Answer 3

A radio should be used where there is a question/choice with more than one option and those options need to be mutually exclusive, e.g:

Can we use your email address for marketing?

( ) Yes

( ) No

Whereas the purpose of a checkbox is for a question/choice where there is only one answer, or multiple choices which are not mutually exclusive, e.g:

[ ] Tick the box if we can use your email address for marketing

or

I am interested in

[ ] Music

[ ] Art

[ ] Films