I'm in the process of creating a registration form where users can select their country from a dropdown menu, which does require some scrolling. In addition, I have fields for locale and timezone. I was considering using a lightweight IP-based geolocation database, such as MaxMind Lite, to automatically detect the user's location and prefill the country, locale, and timezone fields. Of course, users would have the option to change these settings if they wish. Is this approach a good one, or are there better user experience practices for managing these fields?
2 Answers
Using IP-based geolocation like MaxMind is often a solid choice, but keep in mind some users might get misclassified. For example, people near borders or those using satellite services like Starlink may appear to be in a completely different location. Users with VPNs can also show up as being from anywhere. Most of these users are usually aware of the issues and understand the potential misclassification. It's crucial to let users easily override your auto-detected info if needed, especially if location is significant for your service.
I think your approach is on the right track! I recommend using MaxMind for general location checks. For timezones, you could utilize their JavaScript features for better results. As for locale, it’s better to obtain that from the Accept-Language header instead of solely relying on the location. People may speak different languages depending on their context, like Spanish in the USA.
What exactly do you mean by obtaining locale from the Accept-Language header?