I think multi-select lists work perfectly - just hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the mouse to select multiple items from the list. The following is a typical multi-select list box:
The code for the list box above is as follows:
<form method="get" action=""> <b>Check your favorite fast food:</b><br/> <SELECT MULTIPLE SIZE=5 name="favorites"> <OPTION VALUE="McDonalds">McDonald's</option> <OPTION VALUE="BurgerKing">Burger King</option> <OPTION VALUE="Wendys">Wendy's</option> <OPTION VALUE="JackInTheBox">Jack in the Box</option> <OPTION VALUE="KFC">KFC</option> <OPTION VALUE="TacoBell">Taco Bell</option> </SELECT> <br/><input type="submit" value="Choose"> </form> |
In fact, even if you add usage instructions to the page, there are still users who don't know how to use the multi-select list box. Also, adding extra titles to each item would really help, but I'm not sure if using a regular multi-select listbox would achieve that purpose.
However, I do know that with some CSS and a bit of JavaScript, you can generate a prettier multi-select list box and create a URL equivalent to a regular multi-select list box. That way, you don't have to modify the back-end code that handles the list box—you just need to beautify the front-end.