website design - number input vs range slider

what are the advantages and disadvantages of range slider type input as compared with the classical number input? When it is better to use them?

Answer

You can have both or just one, it really depends directly on your use case:

• Input field usually works fine in any case if enough helping information is provided (field format, field name, helping text)



• Input field + range slider (after of below) is used when you want to give the user broad control over a pre-defined range of values with increments; For example you can have this control for configuring a Virtual Machine and choosing 2-4-8-16-32 GB of RAM.


• Range slider is used only when having a predefined range of values and your users are not tech savvy and use the mouse most of the time or as an input alternative for touch devices.

Those are just a few examples but keep in mind at all times that the range slider is not friendly for keyboard navigation in a form or any place.