Selectable content items have three states: default (unselected), hovered and selected. States are important in showing whether the content is selected or not (unselected and selected) and to signal to the user that content is selectable (hovered). All forms of our content selection patterns below have all three states.

This type is best suited for text-based selectable regions with visible backgrounds, like a table-cell. If a user selects a piece of associated content, this can be coupled with the edge type.

If a user selects a piece of associated content, place a 4px stripe adjacent to the content. This type doesn’t have a multi-selection mode.

Best suited for visual content, such as video thumbnails on a grid, that don’t have a defined background. Inset a thick 4px outline on the content when it’s selected. In a multi-selection mode, be sure to use the mark type as well.

Only use this for multi-selection mode. The mark denotes that multiple items can be selected. An example of this would be selecting a group of videos to share. The mark should typically be used in conjunction with one of the other types. More details are available on the select mark page.

There should be no changes to how content is selected on mobile, but special attention should be given to tapping and gestures. To match content selection on the web, make use of hover styles for tapping content when the tap opens an item or new view.

The background color should stretch to the edges of the selected region.

Don'tpartially fill a background region.

Dofill the entire background with the appropriate selection color.

Dividers adjacent to a selected (or hovered) region should be replaced with Level 0 lines.

Don'tuse level accents to divide a selected region.

Doreplace dividers with edge-to-edge Level 0 lines to emphasize the user's selection.

When a selection reveals additional content, the Select Edge should always be on the side adjacent to the revealed content. This helps associate the item with the content and is consistent with tab navigations.

Don'tplace the edge on the opposite edge of the related content.

Doplace the edge adjacent to the related content.

When displaying different portions of the app on mobile devices, rely on both background and edge to communicate placement.

Don'tchoose a different means of indicating an active tab.

Douse show selection adjacent to the viewing content.

Use increased text contrast for selected and hover states of text-based selectable items. On the flip side, unselected items may have reduced contrast to support the selected item.

Don'tuse low contrast text color for selected content.

Doincrease text contrast to emphasize selectable and selected content.