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Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

factorio.com

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Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#81

Post by tvmalsv »

userbinator wrote: post #53
JonathonW wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Ok" for a change (that's described in the body of the dialog's text) is... okay, I suppose. But it's better to mirror the action verb for your confirmation button, because users don't necessarily read the text you present them with. So, instead of this: Delete xyz.jpg? -------------------------- The file 'xyz.jpg' will be permanently deleted. -------------------------- [ OK ] [ Cancel ] You have: Delete xyz.jpg? ---…

Actually "mirror the action verb" surprises/confuses me even more than "OK" "Cancel", since the latter are standard and almost expected, whereas anything other than a positive/negative response feels unexpected. It's like the real-life equivalent of asking someone a yes/no question --- you're expecting a yes/no answer. In fact, I'd say this is even clearer, putting the question at the end and immediately following it…

I agree. When I initiate an action like "delete" and a dialog pops up, my mind is already assuming it's asking the question "Are you sure?" regardless of what the text says, and my eyes are just scanning for a "Yes" or "No". I would give preference to it being on the left (probably because "yes or no" is so ingrained... when's the last time you heard someone say "Answer me, it's a simple no or yes answer!"), but, realistically, if the buttons are close together I'm reading them both at the same time while my eyes are still moving toward them. As in many reading contexts, my brain knows the shape and length of the words I'm expecting so I'm mostly on autopilot until the very last moment.

If the action is to move forward with something or not, I think I prefer the "next"-type button to be on the right, and "cancel" or "back" on the left, probably far left.

But, my thinking does violate the "pick one and be consistent" suggestion. So... I dunno :)

Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#82

Post by tarsinge »

yacn wrote: post #71
c3534l wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even in film the convention is that if you're character is going back, standing in the way of another character moving the plot forward, or just feeling weak or uncertain, they should face the left. When was the last platformer you saw where you moved left to progress? The right hand side conventionally portrays certainty, strength, and progress in all manner of western arts.

Axiom Verge (a metroid-vania) starts you off by going to the left first, just like Metroid did.

I love how these kind of conventions are used to guide the player in Super Metroid : https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/HugoBille/20120114/90903/The...

Edit: context

Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#83

Post by doh »

Stratoscope wrote: post #80
doh wrote: post #75

Years ago I read an article [0] that was championing Cancel-Ok based on the fact that most of the world reads from left to right and thus the eyes move from left to right. If you use Ok-Cancel, user's eyes have to essentially go back to the positive action, which is the one that they do more often. [0] http://uxmovement.com/buttons/why-ok-buttons-in-dialog-boxes...

I wonder if they are really sure about that. What do you think, no or yes?

Well, it convinced me at that time, so now I force all our designers to structure it also as Cancel-Ok. On the surface it makes sense to me, but that doesn't mean it's correct.

So I go with Cancel-Ok, but holding this conviction very loosely.

Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#84

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

RussianCow wrote: post #36
jaysonelliot wrote: post #19

This has been a debate for as long as I've been a UX designer (mid '90s), and probably much longer. Ultimately, the answer about this UX style is very much the same as a question about writing style—there's no objectively right answer, but you have to be consistent. For example, you can pick up any number of style books from Strunk & White to the Chicago Manual of Style and get different "right" answers about writing…

> So the answer from this veteran UX designer would be: Use whichever placement your users are going to be the most familiar with, but whichever you choose, be 100% consistent with the choice you make. Not only that, but make the "OK" choice standout with a different color. If the "default" option is brighter than the rest, your eyes will most likely gravitate towards it first, regardless of the order of the buttons.

Better yet, follow the Apple dialog guidelines for labeling buttons and eschew the ambiguity of "OK".

Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#86

Post by pwg »

DonHopkins wrote: post #54
personjerry wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In that context "Ok" is merely a euphemism for "Accept", which would probably be a better label

At least it's not "Submit", which is just oppressive and demeaning. "Approve" would be more active and positive.

In all fairness, the "Submit" button in standard HTML is using the second definition of "Submit", not the first:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/submit

1 a : to yield to governance or authority

b : to subject to a condition, treatment, or operation * the metal was submitted to analysis

2 : to present or propose to another for review, consideration, or decision; also : to deliver formally * submitted my resignation

3 : to put forward as an opinion or contention * we submit that the charge is not proved

It (the "Submit" button) is "present[ing]" (or "deliver[ing]") the form data field contents to the server. And in fact, myself, until I read your comment, never even considered the word in the context of the "yield" definition due to how it operates.

Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#88

Post by chairmanwow »

foobar1962 wrote: post #35

> But little I knew, that this is actually specific to windows, and on Linux or macOS, the order is reversed... Did anybody else pick this up? The person has only ever seen Windows. That’s extremely limiting. A later comment talks about how Microsoft designed things... one of the big differences between Mac and (DOS and early Windows) was that Mac developers tended to use the Apple tool kit and design guidelines, but…

I think it’s this very consistency that make using the JetBrains family of IDEs so painless. The power-user keybindings are equivalent across all of their products. The standardization make picking up a new language the hardest part about a new IDE instead of having to learn a new tool AND having to learn a new language.

Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#89

Post by latexr »

On macOS I have turned on the setting that lets one tab through all controls (System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts → All controls).

When a “Cancel OK” dialog appears, “OK” is the default choice (in blue) but Cancel is the highlighted one[1], presumably because it’s the first option. This is incredibly convenient because ↵ will activate “OK”, while pressing the space bar will activate “Cancel”. One gets used fast to pressing a single key to act on a dialog, instead of having to tab through controls.

[1]: https://i.imgur.com/zsX66tX.png

Re: Ok-Cancel versus Cancel-Ok

#90

Post by jasonjei »

The way I see this debate is very simple: some people in parts of the world drive on the left side of the road, and some people in other parts of the world drive on the right. I might argue there is only one “right” way to drive, but both are valid approaches.
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