How to Choose Between Radio Buttons and Checkboxes for a Multi-Page Form with Required Fields?

Question

I’m designing a multi-page form with several sections, each containing multiple questions. Users can initially skip required questions and move to the next section but must complete them before submitting the form.

Many questions involve mutually exclusive options, making radio buttons the obvious choice. However, I’m facing two key challenges:

1. Default Selection Issue: Radio buttons typically require a default selection. If a default option is pre-selected, users may overlook the question, leading to inaccurate data capture.

2. Deselecting Options: Once users select a radio button, there’s no way to deselect it and leave the field blank again, which could lead to frustration.

Checkboxes address the issue of allowing users to deselect and avoid a default selection but aren’t ideal since they’re intended for non-mutually exclusive options.

How can I handle this scenario effectively while maintaining good UX and ensuring accurate data capture?

Answer 1

Unselected radio-group is fine.

Go with a radio-button or a drop-down:

• Radio: Unselected by default, with a "way out" option (e.g. None);
• Drop-down: "Please select" preselected as the first item;