To maintain consistency across applications, use the following formats and guidelines.
Date and Time
Formats
time
10:00 AM
military time
22:00:15
short date
Jan 11
long date
Apr 23, 2010
condensed long date
MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, or YYYY/MM/DD
short date and time
Feb 5, 8:00 AM
long date and time
Feb 8, 2014, 1:00 PM
day of week and time
Mon, 7:30 AM
day of week, short date and time
Mon, Mar 15, 3:25 PM
Condensed long date usage
The condensed version of the long date format has 3 variations:
MM/DD/YYYY (05/12/2015)
DD/MM/YYYY (12/05/2015)
YYYY/MM/DD (2015/12/05)
MM/DD/YYYY is the format most used in the US, whereas DD/MM/YYYY is used most outside the US. Depending on the date, the format, and the geographical location or customs of the user, a date has the potential for being misinterpreted if the format is not what the user is expecting. The only non-ambiguous format is YYYY/MM/DD.
Depending on your target audience, determine which format makes the most sense for your application.
Smart format
For dates/times associated with user generated data (e.g., notes, documents), use the smart format, which changes relative to the current date.
If the date is in the past or future on the current day, format as time only
10:00 AM
If the date is in the past or future within the current calendar year, format as short date
Jan 11
If the date is in the past or future outside the current calendar year, format as long date
Apr 23, 2010
Other
For reminders or appointments, show both time and date
Jun 8, 8:00 AM Today, 8:00 AM
Separate ranges with an en-dash without a space
Jun 15–Jun 16 Dec 20, 2014–Jan 2, 2015
If a time range shares a common AM/PM, append only on the end of the range
10:00–11:00 AM 10:00 AM–12:30 PM
Lists
Unordered
List item 1
List item 2
List item 3
Nested list item 1
Nested list item 2
Ordered
List item 1
List item 2
List item 3
Nested list item 1
Nested list item 2
Metadata
The metadata pattern can be used for showing label/value pairs.
Do
Consistently use # or number in labels
Indicate empty/blank values with an em-dash (—)
Reflow columns based on available screen real estate