Search code examples
user-interfaceselectcomboboxuser-experience

Select vs. Basic Combobox in Forms

I guess, I came across a UX painpoint. Correct me if I am wrong.

Forms contain only "Select" component for choosing between different options.

Scenario: I choose "Option 1". In a case the field with "Select" component is not mandatory, i can not deselect my "Option 1".

Solution: Would you think about exchanging this component by "Basic Combobox". If not, why?

Solution

  • When you say "select" I am assuming you're referring to a dropdown menu, and that "basic combobox" refers to the textbox/dropdown combination that allows the user to select from a dropdown or enter in their own text.

    You're right that not allowing users to deselect an answer on a non-mandatory question in a form is a UX painpoint. It's also a problem for whoever is trying to gather the form data, because they won't be able to rely on the accuracy of that answer (since many people will have accidentally chosen an option and can't go back on it.)

    In the scenario you chose, the best practice and easiest thing to do would be to keep the "Select" component, but add a default, deselected option. So for example, if the choices were Option 1 and Option 2, I'd add another option and configure it to be selected by by default. It's good practice to call it something like "Select one". So this is what it would look like.

    | Select one | v |

    | Option 1 |

    | Option 2 |

    You're right that using the basic combobox would allow the user to delete the selection.

    However, I would not switch to a basic combobox solely for the purpose of being able to deselect an option. Basic combobox and select components serve different purposes. Reasons to not swap it out for a basic combobox are:

    1. Deleting the text from the basic combobox still takes more effort (clicking/typing to delete the entire word) than just deselecting from the select dropdown. It also feels a bit hacky.

    2. The basic combobox introduces a new capability: it allows users to type in their own answer (which may not be in your dropdown). This can be useful for certain situations (e.g. an open-ended question, or when you know that you don't have a finite set of possible answers and want to learn information that you don't already have from a survey). HOWEVER, it can be detrimental if the options in your select dropdown are the ONLY options you want to offer or you are using the form to collect data, as it can skew or invalidate the data, or at least make it time-consuming to work with. Keep in mind that, once people can enter their own data, you introduce the possibility of misspellings, nonsensical answers, different terminology and all kinds of things that make it difficult to use the data that comes out of the form.

    So, in short: Use the "basic combobox" when:

    • you aren't worried about skewing the data
    • you want to capture answers you may not have included in the dropdown choices

    Use "select" when:

    • you have finite options you want to present
    • you do not want to skew the data coming from the form