Should I use chip components instead of checkboxes?

Deep dive

You shouldn’t always use chip components instead of checkboxes. They serve distinct purposes in user interface design. Choosing one over the other depends on the context and the user experience you aim to create. 

Chip components vs. checkboxes

When to use a chip component:

• Multiple selections: Use chip UI design when users can select multiple options. The choices look visually appealing and have enough white space.

• Tagging and categorization: Ideal for tagging content or categorizing items, as they allow for quick visual scanning and selection.

• Descriptive labels: Suitable when the options have descriptive labels or need to display additional metadata (e.g., counts or status indicators).

• Horizontal layouts: Effective in horizontal layouts where checkboxes would create awkward alignment.

• Responsive design: Useful for responsive designs where options need to wrap naturally.

• Easy toggling: When selections need to be easily toggled on or off.

• Modern interface: When the interface needs to feel modern and engaging.

• Short options: Best used when there are 12 or fewer options, each with 1-3 words.

• Filtering data: Suitable for filtering data, such as search results or dashboard filters.

When to use a checkbox:

• Binary choices: Ideal when there are only two options (e.g., yes/no, on/off), providing a clear and concise choice.

• Simple lists: Suitable for straightforward lists of options, offering a familiar and intuitive interface.

• Clear hierarchy: Useful for establishing a clear hierarchy between options, as checkboxes can be organized into groups or sections.

• Many options: Best used when there are many options (>12) to choose from.

• Long option text: Effective when options have longer text that requires more space.

• Traditional forms: Appropriate when traditional form patterns are expected by users.

• Precise selection: Necessary when precise selection is critical.

• Accessibility: Preferred when accessibility is a major concern.

• Forms: Commonly used in forms to allow users to select multiple options.

• Vertical layout: Effective in vertical layouts.

Key considerations

When choosing between these components, take into account: 

• User familiarity: Consider your target audience's familiarity with different input types. If they are accustomed to checkboxes, sticking with this familiar pattern may be preferable.

• Screen space: Chips can take up more space than checkboxes, so consider the available screen real estate.

• Accessibility: Ensure that both chip components and checkboxes are accessible to users with disabilities. Use appropriate ARIA attributes and ensure sufficient color contrast.

• Visual hierarchy: Use visual cues like spacing and color to help users understand the relationship between different options.

📚 Related reading: How to design a checkbox and avoid common mistakes? 

Rationale

• Cognitive load: Chips UI can reduce cognitive load by providing visual cues and context. However, too many components can overwhelm users.

• User experience: Chips can create a more engaging and modern user interface.

• Visual processing speed: Users can process visual elements like chips faster than text-heavy checkbox lists. This is due to the Gestalt principle of "figure-ground relationship". They create distinct visual objects that are easier for our brains to parse.

• Memory load: The chunking principle in cognitive psychology suggests that grouping related information (as chips UI design naturally does) helps users maintain more items in their working memory. This is particularly relevant when users need to review their selections.

• Error rates: Traditional checkboxes can show lower error rates in scenarios requiring precise selection, particularly when users need to carefully review each option. This is attributed to their familiar pattern and clear selected/unselected states.

Actionable steps

1. Evaluate your specific case:

• ​​Count the number of options you have.

• Measure the text length. How many words are in each option? 

• Check layout constraints. Does it have vertical or horizontal flow? 

• Identify the selection pattern (single or multiple selection).

2. Guidelines for chips:

• Minimum height: 32px.

• Padding: 8px 12px.

• Border radius: 16px.

• Include a clear selected state.

• Support keyboard navigation.

• Provide a "clear all" option.

3. Guidelines for checkboxes: 

• Minimum height: 24px.

• Label padding: 8px.

• Ensure clear grouping.

• Maintain consistent alignment.

• Support keyboard navigation.

• Consider indentation to indicate hierarchy.

4. Test your choice:

• Verify keyboard navigation.

• Check mobile touch targets.

• Test screen reader compatibility.

• Validate with actual content.

• Get user feedback.

❓Questions designers should ask themselves

By asking the right questions, designers can question their decisions, find areas to improve, make sure nothing is overlooked, and reduce mistakes, leading to better, more thoughtful designs.

• Do we have existing selection patterns?

• What's the nature of our data? Are our options simple text or do they include metadata?

• Who are your users?

• What's our users' tech literacy level?

• Do they have any accessibility needs?

• Can we support keyboard navigation?

• Do we need to support high-contrast modes?

• What's their typical interaction context (desktop/mobile/tablet)?

• How many options will users typically need to choose from?

• Do options need to be grouped or categorized?

• Do we need to track selection analytics?

• Are there performance constraints?

• What's our maintenance capacity?

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

Learning from your mistakes is important, but many problems can indeed be predicted and avoided. Based on Cieden's collective expertise, we're sharing the most common ones.

• Inconsistent spacing between UI chips;

• Poor touch targets on mobile;

• Missing keyboard navigation;

• Inadequate color contrast;

• Using chips for too many options;

• Mixed selection patterns;

• Unclear selection states;

• Missing clear/select all options.

👥 How to convince stakeholders

One of the most crucial skills for a designer is being able to explain and back up their ideas. If you're having a hard time convincing stakeholders, take a look at our tips to help you communicate better.

1. Business value:

• Share completion rate improvements.

• Highlight reduced support tickets.

• Present user satisfaction metrics.

2. Cost benefits:

• Demonstrate maintenance efficiency.

• Show implementation time savings.

• Present scalability advantages.

3. Technical advantages: 

• Illustrate a better responsive behavior.

• Demonstrate easier state management.

• Show a simplified accessibility implementation.

4. Migration strategy: 

• Propose a gradual rollout.

• Show A/B testing plan.

• Present analytics tracking proposal.

🤝 Credits

Our content combines the knowledge of Cieden’s designers with insights from industry influencers. Big thanks to all the influencers for sharing awesome content!

• Why Chips Should Replace Checkboxes and Radio Buttons 

📚 Keep exploring 

Never stop growing. Explore resources thoughtfully handpicked by Cieden’s designers.

• Chips by Material Design 2

• Chips by Material Design 3

• Chip Overview