> -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Christian Heilmann > Sent: Tuesday, 15 August 2006 5:23 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [WSG] target=_blank > > [the classic terms and conditions] > > > But can anybody give me a reasonable example of solving > this problem without > > target=_blank? > > 1) Make the Terms and conditions a mandatory step before reaching the > form - this is also legaly the most secure. As they are annoying show > them upfront as a must rather than sneakily in a link that might make > the user lose her data to boot.
This solution is quite user-unfriendly. In most cases people do not want to read the T&C as they are standard legal talk that hardly anybody understands anyway. They have to be accessible, people have to agree to them, but we all know that 90% of the people do not want to read it. > 2) Embed the terms and conditions in the same document and link them > with an anchor - that also allows you to use any CSS magic to make > them not take up too much screenspace (overflow) - if your argument is > that they need to be maintained separately, use SSI to pull them in > server-side. Pretty much the same user-unfriendlyness: you present the user with a very long page of content that they do not understand. T&C are intimidating to the users and people do not want to read them. > 3) Store the data already entered in a session via Ajax and retain it > when the user comes back Only works with JS > 4) Include the data in an IFRAME or via Ajax setting the focus to it > when the user hits the T&C link (not that accessible, but does work) Only works with JS > 5) Call the link next to the terms and conditions checkbox I agree > with the _Terms and Conditions_ (shift-click to open in a new window) > and remove the parenthesis when JS is available and you can apply a > handler. This assumes that users know what they want. Unfortunately that is not always the case. Many users might not understand the importance of opening this page in a separate window. They click on the link without pressing Shift and then realise that they just lost all their data. > ah (6) Make the terms and conditions link a terms and conditions > button that sends the data and stores it in the session or POST > arguments and retains them when you choose the form view again. Users do not know that their data was just stored in a POST argument. Firstly, most users will get a shock, assuming they just lost all their data. Then they will press the Back button and be presented with the shocking "Refresh your browser" message that most people do not understand. I am sorry, but in the long run the popup window is the best solution for T&C. The reason for this is that users expect this behaviour when requesting information while in the middle of a linear process. Experience with other applications (be it Word, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, whatever) taught us that this is how computers behave. ****************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help ******************************************************
