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I have a form with 11 input fields - Some are dates, some are text, some are range sliders. 5 of the inputs are optional.

Tagging all five with the "Optional" text looks really clunky. Is there a better way to handle having lots of optional fields instead of spamming the "Optional" text?

It means that a user may leave 5 fields blank upon completion yet these 5 fields are taking up 50% of the space.

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If it is possible I would reduce the number of optional fields from 5 to 3, for example, but I know that is not always an option.

A possible solution for the 11 fields scenario would be to group the 5 optional fields under an expandable menu under the required fields and label this section as OPTIONAL, ADVANCED or something like that. This solution allows the users who want to use the optional fields to still be able to find them and takes less space for the users who only fill the required fields.

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    I ended up using this solution - A button that says "Show additional options" / "Hide additional options"
    – Dylan Kerler
    Dec 27, 2020 at 0:38
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Instead of mentioning 'Optional' with a form field, it is better to highlight what is 'Required'. Required field can be indicated with a (*) and validated/ checked on button click as shown in the screenshot below.

According to NN group:

The asterisk has become very common on the web and users are familiar with its meaning. Its main advantage is that it does not take up much space and looks different enough from the label text, so use it.

enter image description here

Here is the full article: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/required-fields/

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