When you've got this kind of question, it's usually best to start by
reconsidering the way you've cast the whole thing. Can you put the
info into two separate boxes (or otherwise divide them?). Then you
have the section where you ask for the person's data and the section
where you ask for the spouse/partner's data. Include gender in both
areas (which, incidentally, is *not* binary -- I suggest using male/
female/self-identifies as: with a text box for the last) if it matters
to you at all, and have the user select spouse/partner/other for the
second set of data. Then, under that goes the same set of queries as
for the primary user with no his/her/their problem to be found.
Does that help?
Katie Albers
User Experience Consultant & Project Manager
ka...@firstthought.com
310 356 7550
On Jul 22, 2009, at 3:23 AM, William Hudson wrote:
Chris -
'They' and 'their' are increasingly popular as singular personal
pronouns. There is even a Wikipedia page on the subject (so it must be
true<g>) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they
Certainly 'they' and 'their' are much less clumsy than 'he or she' and
'his or her'.
Regards,
William Hudson
Syntagm Ltd
Design for Usability
UK 01235-522859
World +44-1235-522859
US Toll Free 1-866-SYNTAGM
mailto:william.hud...@syntagm.co.uk
http://www.syntagm.co.uk
skype:williamhudsonskype
Syntagm is a limited company registered in England and Wales (1985).
Registered number: 1895345. Registered office: 10 Oxford Road,
Abingdon
OX14 2DS.
Confused about dates in interaction design? See our new study (free):
http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/datesstudy.htm
12 UK mobile phone e-commerce sites compared! Buy the report:
http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/uxbench.shtml
Courses in card sorting and Ajax interaction design. London, Las Vegas
and Berlin:
http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/csadvances.shtml
http://www.syntagm.co.uk/design/ajaxdesign.shtml
-----Original Message-----
From: new-boun...@ixda.org [mailto:new-boun...@ixda.org] On Behalf Of
Christopher Rider
Sent: 21 July 2009 13:48
To: disc...@ixda.org
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] "His/Her" vs. "Their" in website copy
...
________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org
Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org
Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
