Guidelines for disabling controls
Guidelines for disabling controls
- Subject: Guidelines for disabling controls
- From: Erik Buck <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 22:02:40 -0400
Microsoft's new Vista User Interface Guidelines have an interesting
take on disabled controls:
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/
UxGuide/UXGuide/Principles/TopViolations/TopViolations.asp>
"Reconsider disabled controls. Disabled controls can be hard to use
because users literally have to deduce why they are disabled. Disable
a control when users expect it to apply and they can easily deduce
why the control is disabled. Remove the control when there is no way
for users to enable it or they don't expect it to apply, or leave it
enabled, but give an error message when it is used incorrectly.
Tip: If you aren't sure whether you should disable a control or give
an error message, start by composing the error message that you might
give. If the error message contains helpful information that target
users aren't likely to quickly deduce, leave the control enabled and
give the error. Otherwise, disable the control."
Is it just me, or are there some words missing in the quoted text ?
What does "Disable a control when users expect it to apply and they
can easily deduce why the control is disabled." Did they mean "can't
easily deduce" ?
Are Microsoft's guidelines opposite to Apple's, or are they compatible ?
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