I'm revamping our registration page with a lengthy list of professional certifications. I am using a plugin that dynamically searches the drop-down based on user input.
Is it preferable to have two drop-downs, with one that denotes a field of certification that dynamically narrows the second down?
Or is it preferable to have one drop-down that is able to be searched based on partial input?
In this case, I am creating this for a job-search website. Considering the user's time and frustration with lengthy forms, I would opt for the second, simpler solution, but wanted input from those well-versed in the field.
Edit for clarification: For example, in the dual-drop-down solution, the first drop down would be a list of categories, ie:
- Accounting and finance
- Actuarial
- Architecture
- Association, credentialing, and not-for-profit management etc...
Selecting one would narrow the contents of the second dropdown to only include certifications that pertain to the selected category. For example, selecting "Actuarial" will dynamically alter the second drop down to only contain actuarial certifications.
I felt that this solution might be more cumbersome than effective when compared to the second alternative, which is to have a full list of dynamically searchable professional certifications, and no dropdown for category.