A Comparison of Multiple Selections Using Multiple Checkbox Selections and List Boxes

Abstract

Website forms are commonly used for collecting information from users. Users choose one or more alternatives from a list. However, data input can be time-consuming. We therefore set out to explore which multiple selection method is the fastest and perceived most positively; the ones relying on multiple checkboxes or list boxes. An experiment with 24 participants was conducted involving 20 multiple selection tasks. The result shows that the mean response time to select three options in each question of multiple checkboxes was faster and more positively perceived than multiple list boxes. The results thus suggest that web developers should use multiple checkboxes instead of multiple list boxes.