Comments on: UIEtips: Part 2- Web Form Design in the Wild http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2010/04/13/uietips-part-2-form-design-wild/ UIE\'s latest insights on the world of design Sun, 19 May 2013 02:00:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: kelly http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2010/04/13/uietips-part-2-form-design-wild/comment-page-1/#comment-150617 kelly Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:33:49 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=1813#comment-150617 I'm really not convinced about the use of a 'right side' button. All applications I create I always go for left hand buttons for the following reasons:- - users read left to right so on completion of the last field or line of text, the user's eyes will always be guided back to the left hand side of the screen - there is much less focus on the right side of the screen so these buttons can be missed - in some applications where right hand buttons used, there can be a huge gap between the last editable field and the base of the page (where the button sits), leaving the user to search for the next step. - If a zoom text user, you would always go back to the left to see if there was another line of text before moving over to the right Many sites are using the right hand side button for 'Next' 'Continue'. I still insist that keeping 'Back' and 'Next' close to each other on the left is the quickest solution for the users. One expert who I discussed this with voted for the use of the 'right hand side' button as he felt it mirrored the reading of a book - my argument back was that we were online! We can see the whole of the book in front of us and know where the last line of text ends, therefore making this action easily and conventionally easier. I'd be interested to know what your opinion is on this? I’m really not convinced about the use of a ‘right side’ button. All applications I create I always go for left hand buttons for the following reasons:-
- users read left to right so on completion of the last field or line of text, the user’s eyes will always be guided back to the left hand side of the screen
- there is much less focus on the right side of the screen so these buttons can be missed
- in some applications where right hand buttons used, there can be a huge gap between the last editable field and the base of the page (where the button sits), leaving the user to search for the next step.
- If a zoom text user, you would always go back to the left to see if there was another line of text before moving over to the right

Many sites are using the right hand side button for ‘Next’ ‘Continue’. I still insist that keeping ‘Back’ and ‘Next’ close to each other on the left is the quickest solution for the users.

One expert who I discussed this with voted for the use of the ‘right hand side’ button as he felt it mirrored the reading of a book – my argument back was that we were online! We can see the whole of the book in front of us and know where the last line of text ends, therefore making this action easily and conventionally easier.

I’d be interested to know what your opinion is on this?

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