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I'm redesigning a form that includes a Priority dropdown, this field has 5 options: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. One being the most important priority and five the least important.
Given that there are 5 options I believe a radio button would be the best idea, but, at the same time I don't think there is sense in having a conventional radio button just for 1 character each.
I tried this, but I'm not sure:
Are there any best practices in this case? Is there a better way to convey this?
I would go for a stacked radio buttons widget with clear titles explaining the highest and lowest priorities. Then have option 3 selected by default.
Unlike radio buttons, the five button widgets don't signify that they provide a 1-of-many selection. Also, without additional information, it's not clear whether "1" indicates the highest priority, or the "5."
So I prefer Parto's layout suggestion over the button approach.
Alternatively, and depending on the frequency of use and overall context in which this selector appears, you could use a popup menu, instead.
Whether you choose radio buttons are a menu, do follow Parto's mapping of the priorities, so that the highest appears at the top, and the lowest at the bottom, and clearly identify the mapping, too.
As a minor bit of polish, if the radio button group has a "Priority" label, don't repeat that word in the settings; just use "Highest" and "Lowest" for that little bit less clutter and cognitive load. :)
