1. Long Dropdowns

Avoid dropdowns when there are more than 10 or fewer than 5 options. Long of dropdowns will require scrolling and will not allow users to see all choices. See Fitt’s Law. Too few options in a dropdown could be better suited for a different treatment to get to context more quickly (button, button group, toggle).

2. Visibility

Give the user context to the button when making a selection in the dropdown. Titles provide context and direction when they are choosing from a list. Whenever the labels are hidden or removed when the menu is open, users may not recall the origin of the selection.¹

3. Choice Visibility

Keep dropdown button choices in view even if disabled.¹  If disabled items are removed, the interface loses consistency and hinders the learning curve for the user.

4. Labels

Write concise labels that clearly indicate the purpose of the selection.Use verbs and verb phrases to describe the action that occurs when the selection is chosen

5. Button Group with Dropdown

Use a button group with a dropdown button when you want to group a default action with several variations of that same action.