The so-called radio buttons are buttons that we use when we offer the user a number of options from which he can choose one. For example, restaurants that offer delivery can place radio buttons in the drink selection section, menu size or in the “do you want cutlery” section (“yes”/”no”).
Obviously, we only place radio buttons where the options are incompatible with each other. In case there is no way to select them together. We can use them when it comes to color, size or another characteristic of your product.
Radio buttons should have:
Label / Title
An absolute must to use radio buttons correctly is to show the user what they are actually choosing.
Grouping
For radio buttons to make sense, you need to offer users two or more options. If the option is one, that is, the choice is between “yes” and “no” (whether to enable), you can use two radio buttons offering the options in question or simply replace this form of choice with a checkbox, which you title “I want XYZ”, where the customer’s request will be confirmed by checking it.
Use radio buttons to demonstrate options where only one can be selected, and if the options have short labels (titles/names), you can arrange them horizontally, but it is best if they are arranged vertically.
It is good if the user can make a choice for more than one thing in your product (for example, size/quantity, packaging color, engraving, etc.), to group the individual options, separating them with a group title, and then each radio button has its own title/name/label.
Default selection
It is good to have an automatically selected option. It should be at the top of the list, since it is most visible there. However, you do not have to sort them alphabetically or numerically. You could sort them by the most relevant to the given user. You could also automatically highlight the option that the user has selected most often in their last X number of interactions with your platform.
Style, actions and states
Radio buttons should have an identical style everywhere on your site. This style should also be such that it is easily visible against the background on which the buttons are placed. You should carefully consider how much of the buttons can be “clickable”, as in some places clicking on the title or even the container (html element) in which the button is located will activate it. Is this appropriate for your users or for the design of your site?
In addition, it is good to think about how the buttons will look in their natural state (when not selected), when they are active (i.e. selected), and when they are inactive (i.e. unselectable).
