### Layout

- Use a dropdown when there are multiple choices that can be collapsed under one title, if the list of items is too long, or when space is constrained.
- Use a dropdown when the selected option is more important than the alternatives (in contrast to radio buttons where all the choices are visible, putting equal emphasis on all options).

### Content

- Use sentence-style capitalization—only capitalize the first word. For more info, see [Capitalization](https://docs.microsoft.com/style-guide/capitalization) in the Microsoft Writing Style Guide.
- The dropdown label should describe what can be found in the list of options.
- Use shortened statements or single words as list options.
- If there isn't a default option, use "Select an option" as placeholder text.
- If "None" is an option, include it.
- Write the choices using parallel construction. For example, start with the same part of speech or verb tense.