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Thread: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
Number of posts in this thread: 7 (In chronological order)
From: Angela French
Date: Wed, Aug 24 2011 2:48PM
Subject: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
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Hello,
I would appreciate any advice on how to best convey that a user has an "OR" choice about two (or more) different form fields they can fill out on a form. I don't mean these as optional, but as mandatory OR.
For example:
Select from this drop down list number 1
OR
Select from this drop down list number 2
OR
Select from this drop down list number 3
My concern is how to keep the user from wasting their time selecting from the drop list one or two only to find out they would have preferred to select from number 3. Wouldn't it be hard for a screen reader user to backtrack ?
Thank you
Angela French
Internet Specialist
State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
360-704-4316
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.checkoutacollege.com<;http://www.checkoutacollege.com/>;
From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Wed, Aug 24 2011 3:00PM
Subject: Re: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
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Hi
When I fill in a form, I generally jump to the first field using "e"
"c" or other shortcut key, but then I use the arrow keys to move
through the form. That would give you the option of putting a sentence
in before the 3 lists that says "please select only one choice from
one of the next 3 listboxes, you can only selet one choice from one of
them". Use Javascript to disable the other two lists once a value has
been selected from one.
I think that would do just fine.
I am wondering if you could use a radio button creatively that says
a. I wish to choose county (as an example)
2. I wish to choose city
3. I wish to choose zip code.
Then you can enable the appropriate list after the user makes the
radiobutton choice.
That is the other approach that would make sense to me.
-B
On 8/24/11, Angela French < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> Hello,
> I would appreciate any advice on how to best convey that a user has an "OR"
> choice about two (or more) different form fields they can fill out on a
> form. I don't mean these as optional, but as mandatory OR.
>
> For example:
>
> Select from this drop down list number 1
> OR
> Select from this drop down list number 2
> OR
> Select from this drop down list number 3
>
> My concern is how to keep the user from wasting their time selecting from
> the drop list one or two only to find out they would have preferred to
> select from number 3. Wouldn't it be hard for a screen reader user to
> backtrack ?
>
> Thank you
>
> Angela French
> Internet Specialist
> State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
> 360-704-4316
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> http://www.checkoutacollege.com<;http://www.checkoutacollege.com/>;
>
>
From: Jared Smith
Date: Wed, Aug 24 2011 3:24PM
Subject: Re: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
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Angela-
If the items are mutually exclusive (they can pick at most one item
from any of the three select menus), why not just combine them into
one big select menu? That's what select menus are designed for -
allowing you to choose one out of many possible options.
Jared
From: Angela French
Date: Wed, Aug 24 2011 3:36PM
Subject: Re: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
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Thank you. I look forward to hearing any other ideas.
Angela
From: Angela French
Date: Wed, Aug 24 2011 3:42PM
Subject: Re: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
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Jared - here is the real life description. This is a search form where the user (a college administrator) searches for a class within our community college system. They can search by instructor, or by class name, and another criteria. Each list is populated from a database and is quite lengthy (you don't want to know how long!). Combining them would not be feasible.
Angela
From: Jared Smith
Date: Wed, Aug 24 2011 3:51PM
Subject: Re: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
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On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 3:41 PM, Angela French < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> Combining them would not be feasible.
I see. If you can use basic JavaScript, you could present an initial
"Search by:" select menu with "Instructor", "Class name", etc. As
items are selected, you would dynamically display the appropriate
select menu immediately after this control.
This would be very accessible and would avoid the situation you
described because the user would only see the items in the select menu
based on their selected search filter.
Jared
From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Wed, Aug 24 2011 4:06PM
Subject: Re: how best to convey an OR choice on a form
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Hi
The obvious idea (which you probably have rejected for develoment
reasons), would be to have links to the page, or part of page, with
the search criteria one wants
i.e.
"search by instructor"
"Search by class"
being links that either opan a new search form page, or activate the
relevant fields, and populate the list, on the same page.
I find the links slightly better than a select list, though there is
nothing behind that, other than my personal preference, either should
do fine.
On 8/24/11, Jared Smith < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 3:41 PM, Angela French < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>> Combining them would not be feasible.
>
> I see. If you can use basic JavaScript, you could present an initial
> "Search by:" select menu with "Instructor", "Class name", etc. As
> items are selected, you would dynamically display the appropriate
> select menu immediately after this control.
>
> This would be very accessible and would avoid the situation you
> described because the user would only see the items in the select menu
> based on their selected search filter.
>
> Jared
>