Need learners to choose one option from a list? Radio buttons let you build choice interactions for quizzes, surveys, branching scenarios, and more. You can customize their appearance and control what happens when learners select an option. Read on to learn how.

• Create and Customize Radio Buttons
• Add Radio Button Interactivity
• Make Radio Buttons Accessible

Create and Customize Radio Buttons

To add a radio button, go to the Insert tab and click Input. Then, choose one of the radio button styles and click your slide or layer to add it.

To add text, select the radio button and start typing. The text becomes part of the radio button. 

To customize the text:

• Use the options on the Home tab to change fonts, font sizes, colors, and paragraph formatting. Learn more.
• Right-click the radio button and choose Format Shape, then select the Text Box tab to adjust alignment, margins, and autofit behavior. Learn more.

Giving radio buttons meaningful names makes them easier to identify in triggers and interactions. To rename a radio button, right-click it and select Rename. You can also double-click it in the timeline and enter a new name.

To format a radio button to fit your course design, select it and go to the Format tab. You can change styles, colors, effects, and more. Colors come from your theme. You can also right-click a customized radio button and choose Set as Default Radio Button to apply the same style to all new radio buttons in the current project.

To delete a radio button, select it and press Delete on your keyboard.

Add Radio Button Interactivity

Use states and triggers to define how radio buttons respond to learner interaction.

Radio buttons include built-in states that change their appearance when learners interact with them. By default, these include Normal, Hover, Down, Disabled, and Selected. You can edit these states or create your own. Learn more.

You can use triggers to determine what happens when learners select a radio button. For example, you can show a layer, jump to another slide, play media, adjust a variable, and more. Learn more.

You can also:

• Convert slides to freeform interactions and use radio buttons as answer choices with optional scoring and feedback.
• Create button sets that allow only one selection at a time. When radio buttons are grouped, selecting one automatically deselects the others. You can include multiple button sets on the same slide.

Make Radio Buttons Accessible

Accessible radio buttons help learners understand their choices, navigate options easily, and make selections confidently. Follow these tips to boost radio button accessibility:

• Provide clear instructions and feedback. Explain what learners should do and provide feedback after they select or submit an answer (3.3.2 Labels or Instructions).
• Avoid unexpected changes after selection. If selecting a radio button automatically submits a response, reveals content, or changes the current view, inform learners before the change occurs (3.2.2 On Input).
• Use descriptive labels. Write radio button text that clearly describes each option so learners understand what they’re selecting without needing extra context (2.4.6 Headings and Labels).
• Group related options clearly. Provide a clear question or group label so learners understand how the radio button options relate to one another (1.3.1 Info and Relationships).
• Set a logical focus order. Arrange radio buttons in a meaningful order so keyboard and screen reader users can move through options predictably and efficiently (2.1.1 Keyboard, 2.4.3 Focus Order).
• Test radio buttons with a screen reader and keyboard. Ensure learners can tab to the radio button group, move between options with the arrow keys, and select an option using the keyboard. Learn more about navigating multiple-choice questions with a screen reader or keyboard (2.1.1 Keyboard).
• Keep focus states visible. Make sure learners can easily identify which radio button currently has keyboard focus. If you customize the focus indicator, ensure it remains easy to see against surrounding colors (2.4.7 Focus Visible, 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured [Minimum]).
• Use sufficient contrast. Choose text and background colors that are easy to read in all radio button states. Use at least a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for text and 3:1 for radio button controls and other non-text elements (1.4.3 Contrast [Minimum], 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast).
• Don’t rely on color to show selection. Make sure selected radio buttons include another visible indicator, such as a filled radio button, checkmark, label change, or another visual cue that’s easy to distinguish (1.4.1 Use of Color).
• Make radio buttons easy to select. Use large, clearly spaced radio buttons for learners using touch, a mouse, or other input methods. Aim for a minimum target size of 24 by 24 pixels (2.5.8 Target Size [Minimum]).