How to design the following part without any user confusion?

Question

I've a wireframe that looks like following. I've removed the non-essential parts for the sake of brevity.

As per the above image, table has two columns Start and End date and other 3-4 columns. Since I'm anticipating the date selection same for all the records, I've provided the checkbox at the top. Now, when this checkbox is checked and user provides the start and end date for the first row, Functionality wise it should be copied to all the rows. But it is mainly an assumption, dates can very well be different for all the rows.

Now there can be cases

• Start and end date might already have a date selected, so in that it is better to not overwrite that value.
• User selects date for 2nd row first. (:shrugging:)
• User may check the checkbox later or uncheck it.

So my question is what is the efficient and user friendly way to accomodate my requirement?

Answer 1

Since you already stated in your question, there are many possible cases where the user will be confused. With you current approach it's impossible to infer the system behaviour, forcing the user to a trial&error approach, or worse, to quit.

My suggestion is to add a "global" date field that can be used if the same date will be used for all instances. You could even split it up into two seperate date fields, for start and end date, respectively. This even provides users the addional flexibility for cases where they might have the same start date but different end dates.

I quickly visualised my approach in MS Paint - so don't look to closely at the details ;-) - to give you a basic idea of that approach. Based on whichever use case either the single datepickers or the global one will be disabled, therefore removing the ambiguity of co-joined datepickers that might or might not override each other, as it is the case in your current approach.

Answer 2

1.The row which is being used as the standard/default "start and end date" needs to be separated and shown distinctively.

2.The "use the same for all" check box should be visually bound with the standard/default row.

The rest of the rows should be visually separated to show that its not part of the editable default group.

Having done this, the rest of the rows become un-editable after this default "start and end date" is applied. Currenly it seems to look editable.

Also Personally, I would use a toggle button on the "Use the same for all" instead of a checkbox and call it "Default time & date" or "Set as default"

I am not sure that I understand the "other" column.