Maybe it’s just that I’m reading this out of context, but I have to agree that the copy is a tough read. I like the headline, but would adjust the copy…
Editing the form will change this report. All widgets and external data conditions will be removed. This cannot be undone. Are you sure you want to continue?
@Alejandro E. Moreno Ruiz – they may have intentionally NOT separated the question from the information preceding it. If they had the question on a second line, I’m sure people would be much more inclined to skip the warning part and just move on to read “Are you sure you want to continue?” without understanding the ramifications.
I don’t know how many of these “Whoa” messages the application has, but if there are many of them, they will all start to look the same, and users will get used to just clicking the “Yes” button, and disregarding the verbiage. It’s challenging, because of the general UI rule that the probability of the text being read is inversely proportional to the length of the text.
This discussion is closed.
About Ryan
Ryan's been getting to the bottom of things at Basecamp since 2003.
Anonymous Coward
on 01 Mar 10”...and existing data conditions…”
What’s that mean?
coca
on 01 Mar 10are you dumb ? data conditions = if some data on the form is x then y.
Eric
on 01 Mar 10If it’s that important I would also have made the cancel green and the yes red.
Honestly this should be an undoable action so that the verbage becomes unnecessary.
Kevin Bombino
on 01 Mar 10Making things undoable can sometimes add an absurd level of complexity to an app. I think the warning is perfect.
K
on 01 Mar 10Changing the form of which this report is based … ?
Am I too grammatically fascist or does anyone else cringe when the read the first part of that sentence?
Alejandro E. Moreno Ruiz
on 01 Mar 10I wouldn’t call it Top Notch.
It’s good that the buttons are not the useless “Yes/No”, or “Ok/Cancel”, for sure. But the blurb is unwieldy.
I would also put the final question in its own paragraph. I always have trouble finding the question that a given program is asking me.
Pablo
on 01 Mar 10ConorOS
on 01 Mar 10someone from Omnigraffle needs a good talking to about this ‘unique’ blend of ‘humour’ and copywriting: http://tweetphoto.com/10250357
Pablo
on 01 Mar 10Martin
on 01 Mar 10I’d have to add my voice to K’s (though I assume K meant to say “Changing the form on which this report is based” rather than “of which”).
Mathew Patterson
on 01 Mar 10@K and @Martin
Although the grammar is not ‘perfect’ the original version feels more like natural speech to me than your corrected versions.
EH
on 02 Mar 10“Yes, I am not sure I would like to keep this form empty, please return it to its former state and do nothing.”
Jimmy Chan
on 02 Mar 10Read this First?
Looks like a command to user, and it is seems unpolite. Without asking, user certainly will read the errors.
And user will not read, click Yes immediately.
Chuck LeDuc Díaz
on 02 Mar 10The message is critically important because the design is flawed. Good systems shouldn’t be designed with important actions that can’t be undone.
Rick
on 02 Mar 10I knew that was Wufoo. They’ve got a great interface and a great service.
KF
on 02 Mar 10Maybe it’s just that I’m reading this out of context, but I have to agree that the copy is a tough read. I like the headline, but would adjust the copy…
Editing the form will change this report. All widgets and external data conditions will be removed. This cannot be undone. Are you sure you want to continue?
Anonymous Coward
on 02 Mar 10Too many opinions.
Gavin
on 02 Mar 10@Alejandro E. Moreno Ruiz – they may have intentionally NOT separated the question from the information preceding it. If they had the question on a second line, I’m sure people would be much more inclined to skip the warning part and just move on to read “Are you sure you want to continue?” without understanding the ramifications.
Doug
on 03 Mar 10I don’t know how many of these “Whoa” messages the application has, but if there are many of them, they will all start to look the same, and users will get used to just clicking the “Yes” button, and disregarding the verbiage. It’s challenging, because of the general UI rule that the probability of the text being read is inversely proportional to the length of the text.
This discussion is closed.