Date Picker Design: Desktop vs. Mobile

Mobile date picker

A well-thought-out mobile date picker design must be easy to use. To achieve that, you must maintain consistent padding from the edges of the screen. Doing so will help enhance usability.

If you are designing a date picker that needs distant past or future dates, it’s best to use a mobile input picker for faster entry.

Mobile input picker

The mobile input picker allows for keyboard input of dates. It’s great to use it when the dates don’t require a calendar view. As we mentioned before, it’s also good to use it when you need distant past or future dates.

Use placeholder text to hint at the format needed for an input picker. The picture below provides an example.

Mobile date range picker

The mobile date range picker often covers the entire screen. Flight or hotel bookings are common use cases for a mobile date range picker.

You can navigate across dates by scrolling and keyboard input.

Desktop date picker

The desktop date picker has a dropdown calendar that is activated by clicking on the input field. It also provides multiple ways to select the needed dates. See the example below.

Desktop date range picker

Desktop date range pickers display both calendars and input fields. Hover states are an amazing way to preview selections, but it’s important to make hover and selected states distinct. Tooltips are best for giving additional context.

Date range building blocks

In order to fully help you master date picker design, check the picture below for date range building blocks you can use for inspiration or to simply inspect.

• To find and inspect similar components in detail, visit m3.material.io

Supercharge bonus tips

Take your date picker design to the next level with these tips:

• Clearly indicate current and selected dates

• Display past, present, or future dates based on relevancy to the task

• Add text fields for easier input on desktop devices

• Use relevant colors, shape, and motion to create interesting visual moments that reinforce the brand

Conclusion

Crafting an exceptional date picker design means tailoring it to the user’s needs and platform. Whether on mobile or desktop, thoughtful use of spacing, interactivity, and visual hierarchy enhances usability. Follow these tips to create date pickers that are functional, intuitive, and visually engaging.