Problem

The Start and End date fields in the experiment and instrument forms are prefilled with the current date by default. The idea to use the current date in the start date field is clever and might reduce effort, but it unfortunately could also be error-prone: prefilling the fields creates the possibility for users to inadvertently save incorrect configurations, given that validation would pass without their input.

Suggested solution

The fields should display placeholders instead of being prefilled by default, so we collect the users' deliberate input in all cases (or validate the lack of it).
The date picker component offers a "Today" shortcut that would allow users to quickly input the current date if needed. On the other hand, placeholders also offer guidance regarding the date format (e.g. dd/mm/yyyy is more informative than 12/11/2025).

current	suggestion

Acceptance criteria

• The Duration fields (Start and End date) display placeholders by default