Unordered List: Simple, Flexible, Essential
An unordered list is a fundamental way to present related items without implying order or priority. It groups content into bite-sized points that are easy to scan, making information clearer and more user-friendly.
When to use an unordered list
- Collections: Features, ingredients, tools, or resources.
- Options: Non-ranked choices or alternatives.
- Examples: Illustrations, sample items, or use cases.
- Steps without strict order: Parallel tasks that can be done in any sequence.
Benefits
- Readability: Breaks dense text into digestible pieces.
- Scannability: Readers can quickly find relevant items.
- Accessibility: Screen readers announce list structure, improving navigation.
- Visual clarity: Consistent bullet formatting separates items cleanly.
Best practices
- Keep items parallel: Use the same grammatical structure for each bullet.
- Be concise: Short phrases or single sentences work best.
- Use bullets sparingly: If more than 7–10 items are needed, consider grouping or sublists.
- Capitalize consistently: Either capitalize the first word of each item or not—don’t mix.
- Punctuate consistently: If items are full sentences, end with periods; if fragments, no punctuation needed.
Examples
- Shopping list:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Bread
- Apples
- Feature list for an app:
- Fast search
- Tag-based organization
- One-click import/export
- Sync across devices
An unordered list is a small formatting choice that yields big gains in clarity and usability—use it whenever you want to present related items without implying sequence.
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