All questions involving the selection objects to be acted upon, including contiguous selection (e.g. strings of text), multiple selection (e.g. checkboxes), and single selection (e.g. radio buttons).
19
votes
7answers
2k views
Best way to offer a large amount of selectable options (without using Javascript)?
I come from stackoverflow and have no answers for this one, so I turn to the UI guys for assistance.
Let's say I have a library application that allows a user (librarian) to add a book to the ...
18
votes
14answers
2k views
Choose Your Country: Best Usability approach
I'm looking at potentially designing a site which will have 'mirrors' in multiple sites around the world. I am experimenting with the best method to help users change both their country and language ...
17
votes
9answers
861 views
Should radio buttons be pre-selected?
I am working on a re-design for a eCommerce site and they have a section where they offer a free gift card if the user makes a purchase over $1000. The idea of the gift card is to get users to ...
15
votes
8answers
413 views
How to undo a 'select all' action
download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups
The convention for a 'Select All' checkbox is simple: if blank, click to select all. If ticked, click to de-select all.
...
15
votes
6answers
2k views
Hierarchical multi-state tree check box selection
I'm searching for a good/alternative solution to handle multi-state selections in a check box tree. A normal check box tree is mostly doable, because it has three different states.
It might not be ...
11
votes
2answers
180 views
Slanted cursor+background for italic text?
In most applications that I'm familiar with, a text cursor in insertion mode is universally represented as a vertical blinking bar:
As you can see, for some italic letters this creates visual ...
10
votes
8answers
421 views
How to make the relationship between two related lists more obvious?
I've got two horizontal lists - one that contains Chinese characters (list A) and the second that contains the decomposition of the selected character (list B). Currently, when the user clicks on ...
10
votes
5answers
835 views
Should i use country flags in language selection fields?
My users can create content in different languages, and i need to provide an option to choose the language when they enter new content.
Right now there are only 5 languages (en, fr, de, pt, es), and ...
10
votes
2answers
191 views
What is the best practice for checking a series of checkboxes?
I have a large table (some 100 rows) for setting user permissions. Each set of permissions has a set of 4 possible items, which in many cases will all be checked but not by default. For efficiency we ...
9
votes
3answers
344 views
Interact with small objects
The objects (the small squares) can be selected/deselected. The small objects are contained in the larger container box. There can be several container boxes rowed up on the x axis.
I would ...
9
votes
5answers
234 views
Selecting many elements from a long list
I have a scenario where my 'create user' dialog has a very long list of options, of which the user needs to select many. The project manager has suggested a 'dual list' approach: a long (scrolled) ...
8
votes
4answers
211 views
Submit textbox input without button
The users have a table and in the last row they have 6 different text inputs, one per column.
This inputs will define a variable in the Database.
I am trying to think how can I do it to avoid ...
7
votes
3answers
345 views
Is the option 'Select all' always needed by the users?
Right now I'm working on an interface for a web-based report application that manages logistic data of the companies registered by all the users of the website.
The functionality is basically the ...
7
votes
2answers
145 views
Differentiate between exact date and date period (e.g., month vs. month of year)
I'm working on a web-based reporting system that allows users to create ad-hoc charts. The user selects the data to be analyzed (e.g., sales dollars, sales volume, number of employees, etc.) in ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
Timezone selection best practices
I am looking for ways to design a UI where the user selects their timezone. I would like to avoid having a map as that can be slow people down on small screen devices. I currently have 2 options:
...
6
votes
8answers
879 views
Selecting items for different categories in a dropdown
I have a dropdown box that I can use to select a device in the following manner:
When the user selects a device, they are taken to a Device Homepage. The device homepage contains information about ...
6
votes
4answers
450 views
What android UI control fits for selection of number in large range?
I'm working on a application for tracking body mass measurements. I need the user to be able to input a number representing body weight, whose magnitude ranges from 0.00 kg to normally 300.00 kg. The ...
6
votes
3answers
465 views
Best practices for selecting time
I am building a web application that will allow users to create custom forms. There are numerous widgets that can be added to the form.
One of them is the time picker. What is the best way to present ...
6
votes
3answers
168 views
Fit buttons next to textbox on a widget
I'm designing a widget to select names, and move them to two different fields.
The left list will display all available names. On the right we'll have two fields: a textbox and another list. User can ...
6
votes
2answers
244 views
Best way to give user two controls (expand and select) on a single object
We're working on an organizational tree visualization, for each node (circle) in the tree the user has two options - expand the node to see its children OR select the node
In general, the primary ...
6
votes
5answers
165 views
Is there a pattern for cycling or toggling through time periods?
I'm looking for a pattern for toggling between different periods of time. Currently I've prototyped an example which is a single button that, when tapped, will cycle through 3 time periods: by month, ...
6
votes
1answer
177 views
Why is HideSelection the default on Windows?
I've always wondered why Windows controls have their HideSelection property set to true by default?
Example (TreeView): ...
6
votes
5answers
260 views
Accordion Menu or Static Menu Options for Touch Screen optimization
I'm in the process of redesigning dialog menus for our application. The biggest reason is to make the application touch friendly. But these menus will be used in both touch and mouse environments.
...
6
votes
3answers
398 views
Best way of selecting rows in a grid across pages?
Best way of selecting rows in a grid across pages?
We have a data grid which spans multiple pages, which is core part of our web based application.
Scenario 1: Checkboxes denote selection.
Use Case ...
5
votes
5answers
169 views
Best wording of “blank” option for an optional select?
For <select> elements that require the user to select at least one option, basic wording for the "blank" option is fairly easy: "Select..." or something similar.
However, for <select> ...
5
votes
2answers
57 views
Choice Box or Tabs for multiple contents in a view [duplicate]
I am going to display a small view in my application that contains contents to be picked. The contents are sorted in an undetermined quantity of categories.
Would it be preferred to sort them in ...
5
votes
0answers
109 views
Bulk actions: what to do when not all items support an action [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Bulk actions: what to do when not all items support an action
Picture the following scenario: user selects a bunch of items, and the 'bulk actions' box appears; user ...
4
votes
6answers
493 views
Best way to let user select one of 100 values?
In our app we have a page that allows users to select an account type and there are 100 different ones. It's basically a word + number, something along the lines of the number of users you want to ...
4
votes
5answers
450 views
What is the maximum recommended number of item to put in a drop down list?
I am introducing searchable drop down lists to filter grid data. The number of items in a list could range from anything like ten to a ten thousand.
The larger the number of items, the more awkward ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
UI Drop Down Alternative(s)
I searched previous questions and mine doesn't exactly fit...
I am working on a User Interface for a school course online application. The integral part of the application is choosing which term you ...
4
votes
2answers
292 views
Assigning working hours on a duty roster
Here's a screenshot of the duty calendar in the system I'm working on (I've deleted all names here for privacy reasons).
Each person can have a day of particular type (listed in the legend above: ...
4
votes
4answers
160 views
Finding within a displayed set: winnow or focus?
We have a list of things in which there are exactly 4 or so categories of items. This list is fairly static, but slowly growing as new items get added. Think: a list of projects, or a mailbox, or ...
4
votes
3answers
143 views
Clear selection in Android
When using standard Android apps (like Gmail) which have multiple items to select, a contextual action bar (CAB) comes up showing a checkmark (tick) and some other information (such as "3 selected").
...
4
votes
4answers
267 views
Selection of multiple items and then selected one as default
I'm trying to design a web interface in which users pick particular "items" and set one of them as default. The textbox for searching uses autocomplete to find the matching item. I've come up with the ...
4
votes
3answers
324 views
User control for a two level selection
I'm about to develop an application that will be used by revisers to compile the errors they find while reviewing a translation. The application will consist of a simple form in which they will have ...
4
votes
4answers
502 views
UI for multi-select with at-least-one requirement?
I have a field for which the user may select multiple responses, and is likely to be implemented as a drop-down with checkboxes. The user can select one, two, or many from the list of options. We're ...
4
votes
2answers
152 views
List of values vs radio button group vs drop-down list
In the thread on GUI Design - ComboBoxes Versus Lists or RadioButtons and Dropdown vs radio button, I've read about comboboxes vs. radio button groups. In our legacy application, we also use lookup ...
4
votes
3answers
156 views
Input control and concept of default values
I'm working on an application which purpose is to edit data from a specific domain.
The domain has a concept of default/inherited values.
For instance:
Let say I have a control with an edit box to ...
4
votes
4answers
130 views
A scalable solution to define user-group membership
I am trying to solve this design question for my class. The problem is simple - there are thousands of users and I have to design a UI that lets you associate them with a group.
I found this ...
3
votes
3answers
70 views
Rely on user awareness by autoselecting or prompt the user to actively choose?
I came across a small dilemma in my development, namely whether as a designer I should rely on a user to actively review settings before submitting an action, thereby justifying having it pre-set, or ...
3
votes
2answers
151 views
Touchscreen: Select small zones from a huge scrollable image
My app lets the user take a picture of a sheet of paper, then select a block of 2-3 words, then another block.
The user must be able to clearly read the (potentially tiny) written words, so she will ...
3
votes
2answers
125 views
Segment control with NULL selection
In our Android application we have a list view of items. The items can be members of two different groups, Group 1 and Group 2, but can also be without group. To filter the list to show the items in a ...
3
votes
2answers
118 views
Changing the language of a website
While travelling abroad, I often get pages on websites that are normally in English for me (e.g. images.google.com) served instead in whatever the local language is. The problem is that I can't read ...
3
votes
2answers
218 views
Two panel multi select on mobile
I'm trying to develop a system where users can add financial symbols to activities, almost as you would tags to a blog post. The user should be able to easily add or remove symbols. They can add as ...
3
votes
2answers
114 views
Why don't applications explain reason for greyed-out icons/menu options? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Don’t hide or disable menu items?
I think applications should explain why an option of clickable icon is greyed-out i.e. not selectable or not active. For example a ...
3
votes
1answer
201 views
Drop-down list inside add button or panel
I have a screen where user defines his competencies. Each competency have to be later described with some details, so each is presented as a separate panel. Below the last Competency panel I put an ...
3
votes
1answer
113 views
What is the most used method to categorize new threads in a mobile forum application? [closed]
I am planning to launch a new Forum/Chat app for Android/iPhone. The app requires users to specify a category before creating a new thread.
What is the most common method to show and allow users to ...
2
votes
3answers
99 views
Choosing from a list of options and preserving order
We have a listing of topics and would like users to be able to choose three topics from the list and would also like to preserve the order in which the topics are chosen.
Using three <select>s ...
2
votes
1answer
166 views
What is the best method to show selected filters from very long lists?
I need to find a solution for displaying flagged items from a very long list.
The following pics shows the filter panel of the iPad App.
Users can select all the items or search for specific items ...
2
votes
4answers
135 views
How to allow quick toggling between two out of several values?
An Android app provides several possible values for a setting. The user needs to be able to quickly toggle between two of the settings, A and B. 95% of the time they will only be interested in A and ...
