Where should that dang button go?
So, here we have the Aqua Human Interface Guidelines (i.e. the MacOS-X user interface guidelines), the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines, the KDE User Interface Guidelines and of course the Microsoft Windows Official Guidelines for User Interface Developers and Designers.
Apple says that “The default button for dismissing a dialog should go in the lower-right corner. If there’s a Cancel button, it should be to the left of the default button.”. Gnome seems to imply that the default button should be on the bottom right, with other buttons to its left, which is more or less consistent with the Apple guidelines.
Microsoft says: “Lay out the major command buttons either stacked along the upper right border of the dialog box or lined up across the bottom of the dialog box. Position the most important button — typically the default command — as the first button in the set.” The KDE User Interface Guidelines don’t seem to set specific constraints on this kind of button placement, but judging by many of the standard KDE 3.1 applications, the dialogs seem to follow the Windows convention.
So, amongst these major user interfaces, it seems there are two camps: the “default-button-first-in-the-group” camp and the “default-button-in-the-bottom-right-corner” camp, which leaves us with a major headache if we’re trying to develop cross-platform software. No matter what convention you choose for, there are going to be clashes between the dialog boxes you’ve designed for your application and the OS-specific common dialogs (e.g. colour selection, font selection, etc.) that you’re bound to use.
I’m afraid that I’m going to have to opt for the Windows/KDE convention. Linux users have learnt to live with the inconsistency (KDE vs Gnome conventions in this case) and will probably not notice. Windows users on the other hand, are quite used to the relative position of their buttons. I confirmed this by conducting a survey amongst a large group consisting of one novice Windows user. How’s that for solid research?
Seriously though, the application in question will mostly be used by two kinds of users: Doctors or non-geek professionals using Windows and Super-Geeks Using Linux. The former group will probably be significantly larger than the latter group.
What do you think?
Related posts:
Edward Chadwick:
May 4th, 2003 at 20:24
You’re probably right to go with the Windows convention on that one. Personally I’ve never really noticed there was a difference. What is more important I think is the difference between Apple and MS when it comes to the text of the buttons. Apple use verbs, i.e. ‘Save’ or ‘Don’t save’. MS however tends to use ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. This makes mistakes easier to make if you haven’t read the question.
butterfly ring:
July 8th, 2005 at 02:16
butterfly ring
Looking for free 30 day trials of our products? Visit our titanium ring center!. Lost your registration code? Need to download a purchased product again? Visit our titanium ring center to ha…
בירה:
July 10th, 2005 at 03:56
בירה
Thank you for your interest in בירה and how we may be able to help your company. A member of our staff will be in touch with you shortly. Play at בי…
תומך לכיור:
July 10th, 2005 at 06:30
תומך לכיור
Whether you just need to send a press release about תומך לכיור, a one-time public relations project, full-service public relations every month, or anything in between you have come to the right plac…
Flash Games:
July 12th, 2005 at 12:13
Flash Games
Now used in more than 150 nations, Flash Games brings dramatic and permanent improvement to people all over the world. Choose a Flash Games Package – We will install and activate a fully operational Flash Ga…
עבודה מועדפת:
July 16th, 2005 at 05:42
עבודה מועדפת
We understand that this approach might be considered unfashionable. But if it means helping our clients achieve their goals, whether for עבודה מועדפת or just financial security, it’s an …
עבודה מועדפת:
July 16th, 2005 at 05:42
עבודה מועדפת
We understand that this approach might be considered unfashionable. But if it means helping our clients achieve their goals, whether for עבודה מועדפת or just financial security, it’s an …
Card Game:
July 17th, 2005 at 09:28
Card Game
Looking for free 30 day trials of our products? Visit our Card Game center!. Lost your registration code? Need to download a purchased product again? Visit our Card Game center to have your information emaile…
סיפוני מטבחים:
July 18th, 2005 at 15:00
סיפוני מטבחים
For decades, we’ve believed in building relationships through face-to-face interaction, and adhering to a strategy of recommending quality סיפוני מטבחים investments that have prove…
Diamond Fashion:
July 20th, 2005 at 18:42
Diamond Fashion
This information will be reviewed and a determination of acceptance will be made based on Diamond Fashion information. If preliminary acceptance is granted, you will be forwarded the necessary papers to register your
מטבח:
August 3rd, 2005 at 09:26
מטבח
Our award-winning מטבח just got better with support for the Firefox browser! So that is what was doing that on מטבח. I noticed it about a month ago but so much …
ברזים לאמבטיות:
August 8th, 2005 at 12:18
ברזים לאמבטיות
If you’ve ever felt there was something holding you back in life, ruining your plans and stopping you from being who you want to be, you were right. We call it ברזים לאמבטיות…
לוח שש בש:
September 27th, 2005 at 09:15
לוח שש בש
Our staff places great emphasis on providing stunning customer service and is dedicated to לוח שש בש. We strive to add a great deal of value to each of our customers and make the funding process as simple as po…
nudism galleries 19.11:
November 19th, 2005 at 13:56
hardcore transgender shemale watersports mexican personals
.
שיעורים בסלובנית:
November 22nd, 2005 at 08:05
שיעורים בסלובנית
on our new Web forum about שיעורים בסלובנית,You can connect directly with the
Anonymous:
December 20th, 2005 at 22:42
Honestly, try to do a guy a favour Ginger Cat …
iuouqok:
March 13th, 2006 at 22:38
fihgze
clazaijme