What is a Date Picker in UI Design and How to Use it?

Picking dates is an activity that can be applied to so many aspects of our daily lives - this is why most websites and apps include date pickers.

Time is a concept that is constantly on our minds, no matter our age, occupation, or interests. Just think about how many times a day we check our phones or watches to see what time it is! An important aspect related to time that we are very used to seeing on websites, apps, and all over our device screens is the date. 

Let’s take the example of booking a holiday. If you were scrolling through the stays on Airbnb, it would be of no use unless you could select the dates between which you would like to rent a room. Maybe this example seems too specific, but the date component of a website or app is much more common than we might initially think. Ordering clothes from an e-commerce website requires choosing delivery dates. Even when we want to order groceries, apps will ask us to select a date for the delivery. So, what exactly are date pickers and how can they be used in UI UX design?

Date pickers are the UI design element that allows users to choose a date or a range of dates from a popup calendar. They are an essential part of UI design, that when implemented right, can really help with enhancing the user experience.

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Types of Date Pickers

There are three main types of date pickers, that can be integrated into a digital design depending on the context of the website or app.

• Docked Date Picker

These types of date pickers allow users to select specific dates as well as years. The first thing we see when we open a docked date picker is a default date input field. When we tap it, we will see a dropdown calendar with which we can interact. We can choose to navigate these date pickers through our keyboards or cursors.

• Modal Date Picker

There are multiple ways of navigating a modal date picker. Firstly, we have to swipe horizontally if we want to navigate through months. To navigate across years we would have to scroll vertically and to select the year picker we need to tap the year. 

• Modal Date Input

These date pickers allow users to manually enter dates using the numbers on the keyboard.

There are many advantages of integrating date pickers into the UI UX design of a website or an app, and it is crucial for a UI/UX designer to know when to use them. Most of the times, these date pickers are included in forms.

• Docked Date Picker. 

Due to their diversity, docked date pickers are both suitable for dates in the near and distant future. One good example of when a docked date picker could be integrated into the UI digital design of an app or website is for users to select their date of birth. Due to their nature, it would be accessible to navigate this date picker even for a person who was born earlier than the 2000s.

• Modal Date Picker. 

These date pickers are not suitable for dates in the distant past or future. The reason for this is the way in which they can be navigated - if we used these for very wide ranges of dates, we might risk ruining the user experience. They should be applied to cases such as booking a flight or a room at an accommodation because these activities generally span over a shorter period of time.

• Modal Date Input. 

The modal date input can be the default view for dates that do not need a calendar view. These can also be used for websites and apps where users need to add their date of birth. The difference is, that modal date inputs require users to add these dates manually by typing them in.

• Get familiar with date pickers. 

Before we, as UI UX designers, choose what date pickers we will add to a website or app, we should be accustomed to the roles and types that are available. That means, by the time we dive into the design process, we should know whether a modal date input or a docked date picker is more suitable for our product.

• Compatibility.

When we create a date picker for our web page, we have to make sure that it is compatible with as many browsers so that our users can easily access them. Also known as scalability, this property is a design standard that is essential nowadays. 

• Error Handling. 

There are many cases in which preventing errors is extremely useful. For example, in the case of selecting flight dates, the departure date should always come sooner than the return flight. It is important to signal users when they have made a mistake.

• Intuitiveness. 

In UI UX design, it is essential that date pickers help users complete the date as easily as possible. This is why, implementing different technologies such as placeholder text that suggests the format they should use is helpful. It can be really frustrating to play a guessing game whenever you switch to a new website, so strategies that are based on intuitive user interfaces are the way to go.

• Removing Illogical Dates. 

Another strategy for error prevention is to remove the possibility for users to add dates that do not make sense altogether. There is no reason for users to have the option of selecting 1900 as their birth year. Date pickers should exclude illogical dates, which can actually improve user experience.

We at uinkits understand the importance of great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.

“You press the button, we do the rest.” – Kodak.

Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.

Our design system includes UI components, icons, variables, cards, buttons and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!