Re: Comments on dialog proposal

[Maciej Stachowiak <mjs noisehavoc org>]

On 05Sep2001 05:41PM (+0100), Michael Rogers wrote:
> Christian Rose wrote:
> > Yes, and that's my point. "OK" implies "apply these changes and close
> > the dialog". But they have already been applied, so what does "OK" in
> > this case really do? That may not be entirely clear to the user.
> 
> What difference would it make if the button *did* apply the settings and
> close the dialog, instead of just closing the dialog? Absolutely none,
> since those settings are already in force. Perhaps User A is aware that
> the settings are already in force, and User B is not. There is no
> difference between what User A would expect the OK button to do
> (settings already applied, just close the dialog) and what User B would
> expect it to do (apply the settings, close the dialog). Either way, you
> end up with the same settings. So who is going to be confused?

Suppose you have a dialog where you can't tell if the changes are
being applied instantly right away. If you see an "OK" button, you
might think you have to close it to try the settings out, whereas
otherwise you might leave it up while you try the new setting, in case
you want to tweak them again. Lack of clarity about the underlying
model might make your work less efficient.

Alternately suppose that some user is used to an "OK" button meaning
she has to press "OK" for the changes to permanantly take effect. She
sees the settings changing as she manipulates the widgets, but is
worried that she must press OK for the settings to _really_ stick, and
not go away if the computer is shut down or the close box is pressed,
etc.

Also, it's worth noting that Apple has done a lot of user testing on
this issue, and has many experienced HI people, and they always label
the button "Close" if the changes in the dialog are applied instantly.

Basically "Close" vs. "OK" will become a signal as to whether there is
any work to do besides just closing the dialog, and in time, this will
help the user's mental model of what's going on.

 
> Let me put it this way: in a dialog that doesn't instantly apply
> changes, there is often an Apply button and an OK button.
> 
> Q: If you hit Apply and then OK, does the OK button apply the settings
> again before it closes the dialog?
> A: Who cares? What difference does it make?
> 

The "OK" button should be labelled "Close" unless there are any
outstanding settings changes that have not yet been applied. I think
the label changing in this case would be a great way to signal whether
you have any outstanding changes.

 -Maciej