vSphere Design Standards

A radio button allows users to select one in a group of options.

Guidelines

Use radio buttons when the following conditions apply:
- You have seven or fewer options. For more than seven options, use a drop-down menu, list box, or datagrid.
- You want users to see all available options. This design is more aesthetically pleasing than using a drop-down menu and keeps user clicks to a minimum.
Favor vertical orientation of the buttons for readability. Use horizontal orientation only when vertical space is limited.
Select the recommended radio button by default. Unless a reason exists otherwise, include the default button as the first item in the set of options.
If users need additional details to make the correct choice, consider placing the radio buttons in the first column of a datagrid and the details in the remaining columns.
For the button label:
- Use four words or fewer. If more information is needed, include instructional text below the option.
- Use regular text (not bold text).
- Use sentence-style capitalization and no ending punctuation.

If you include a group label:
- Write text that describe the nature of the options.
- Use sentence capitalization and end in a colon (:).