I am going to implement standard functionality – birthdate input on web form for PC.
There are lots of interfaces how to implement this.
- Date picker (OMG, I can’t stand picking date with it. Too many clicks required)
- 3 Dropdown lists. Day, Month, Year. (I am not very fond of it though – they are too long)
- Straightforward input: DD.MM.YYYY (My choice, but I am programmer, not a customer)
- … some more
What kind of input do you prefer? What is the worst one for your opinion?
Interaction design is an art by itself. Being an architect/developer myself, I also prefer to use the 3 input boxes, but… We have to think of the ‘target user’ and ‘what (s)he’s used to’. In a general sense, for me that results in providing all three options in one interaction design.
A popup with calendar control and 3 input boxes (with drop down support) would yield something that offers all 3 options mentioned by you.
Again, interaction design is also focussed on the “point of view” for whom the interaction design is being made. So, depending on your target audience you might choose to leave out some of the possibilities.
Hope this helps,