At 12:50 AM -0400 7/29/09, Claudia wrote: >I also know the problem particularly when I discuss with developers. >Often I have the situation that we have a form that can be submitted >(so we have a "save" or "ok" button) and we have a "cancel" >button. > >The points we discuss is: >- do we need a cancel button on a website where you can click >somewhere else and you can start again - and
I am of two minds on this. I have read some opinions that you don't need a Cancel action at all (be it a button or a link), that you just need to provide the user with clear alternatives to proceeding. I'm not convinced of that, however; at least not in the general case. On the one hand, it seems to me that people are accustomed to having a Cancel option in dialog boxes and tend to expect the same elsewhere (e.g., Web apps). On the other hand, I suspect that "Return to X" would *be* such a clearer alternative. I do think it should be a button rather than a link, precisely because it conveys the impression of performing an action rather than simply navigating. >- should the cancel button look like a button or a link - because the >developers opinion is, that it works like a link so it should look >like a link. > >My opinion is that in most of the cases the user don't know what >happens behind the UI so he don't have a problem that it look like a >button. I agree with you, Claudia. If it takes an action, make it a button, regardless of whether it also has the side effect of taking the user somewhere else. The user expects to see things change on clicking a "Cancel" button. In this case, navigation is not specifically the user's intent, and a link is not the appropriate mechanism for it. Elizabeth -- Elizabeth Buie Luminanze Consulting, LLC web: www.luminanze.com twt: @ebuie ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
