When should a dropdown be used?

Offering drop-down menus can help users avoid scrolling and can quickly get them access to your site's content. For large websites, drop-down menus can save users time by allowing them to jump down a level or two to get to the content they seek.

1. What is the purpose of dropdown?
2. Under what circumstances would you use a drop-down menu vs a tab menu?
3. Why would a drop-down list benefit a database designer?
4. Why would a dropdown be an advantage over a radio button?

What is the purpose of dropdown?

A drop-down list (abbreviated drop-down, or DDL; also known as a drop-down menu, drop menu, pull-down list, picklist) is a graphical control element, similar to a list box, that allows the user to choose one value from a list. When a drop-down list is inactive, it displays a single value.

Under what circumstances would you use a drop-down menu vs a tab menu?

Tabs are good when you have content that is different in each section. Drop downs are good for selecting a variable in one field.

Why would a drop-down list benefit a database designer?

Dropdowns do have their advantages. First, they conserve screen space. Because they are a standard widget (even if an unpleasant one), users know how to deal with them. And, when used in forms and for attribute selection, dropdown boxes prevent users from entering erroneous data, since they only show legal choices.

Why would a dropdown be an advantage over a radio button?

Radio buttons have the advantage of one-click option selection (versus two clicks to select from a drop down). They save the user a click. Dropdowns have the advantage of one-glance value reading (the user only has to look in one place to see what is currently selected, rather than scan down a list).