[IxDA Discuss] 'Select Country' dropdown

[Katie Albers]

So, I have this really radical, amazing idea...Let's not use drop 
downs for selections with insanely large numbers of selections! Every 
time I see a drop down for state it makes me nuts...especially 
because so many of them just show the two letter abbreviation....One 
of the few numeric heuristics that was drilled into my head when I 
was just a baby usability student was that a drop down should never, 
under any circumstances, contain more than 13 items (and really not 
more than 12, but they'd let us get away with one extra).

I understand the need for standardization and the need for error 
checking, but there are other ways to go about it. Yes, it takes more 
programming to have a text field and then error check that against 
permissable countries, or use a scrolling selection window (which has 
many of the same problems that Caroline pointed out -- as in "What DO 
you people think my country is called?") but to my mind both of these 
are preferable to the mindless instantiation of the drop down menu 
whenever data needs to be consistent.

I think that in the case of addresses it's time for us to stop making 
the selection process easier on the technology side and start making 
it easier on the human side.

Of course there's probably nothing we can do to eliminate the 
US-based problem with data entry people who are frustrated when they 
can't find New Mexico on the country list.

Katie

At 4:35 PM -0800 12/17/07, Jim Drew wrote:
>  >From: Billy Cox <billy at oldworldspices.com>
>>
>>2 -- Most likely selection(s) at the top of the list, with remainder of list
>>alphabetical.
>
>If you choose the latter, make sure that the pulled-out items are 
>also listed again in the full alpha listing.  I've been caught a 
>couple times trying to find United States in the U's after 
>alphakeying to there, and then having to scroll all the way back to 
>the top of the list to get to my desired location.  Put it in twice 
>and same somebody some grief.
>
>-- Jim

-- 

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Katie Albers
katie at firstthought.com