Next & previous button order

In such situations is it better to have the secondary action, 'back', to the left or the right of the primary action, 'next'? Or is there a better solution?

Haven't seen any studies on this, but I provide an edge to those who Tab their way through forms by putting the primary action button on the left (in Western world designs anyway) so that it's first in the tab order. The options are the same regardless, and there's an advantage to giving savvier computer users a slightly easier time.

-r-

Tamlyn,

My own opinion is that it goes completely against our intuition/ expectations/training to have the "next" button on the left and the "previous" button on the right. That's just backwards.

Best, Jack

Jack L. Moffett
Interaction Designer
inmedius
412.459.0310 x219
http://www.inmedius.com

You could design a process to catch
everything, but then you're overprocessing.
You kill creativity. You kill productivity.
By definition, a culture like ours that
drives innovation is managed chaos.

-Alex Lee
President, OXO International

Tamlyn,

Button order is only one way to make the "continue" button be more prominent. Attributes such as color, size and grid alignment can also help create this visual hierarchy, even if the continue button isn't actually first.

You can also manipulate the order of buttons with CSS to address Robert's tab-order point. The visual order of your buttons on screen doesn't necessarily need to correspond to the programmatic order of buttons in your code.

Finally, you might stop for a moment and consider whether you actually need an explicit back button. Maybe you do, but in my experience users go for the actual browser back button much more readily if they need to go back. Make sure this doesn't break your form.

// jeff

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

Tamlyn,

I think it's a great example of this kind of situation, where using too-simple
rules leads to oversophisticated solutions.

In fact: western world is left-to-right: we start looking at the left side of the page, we tend to see left element as "first" and right as "second" and so on. But it depends, as usual.

One of the simply examples are wizards, which you asked about. Natural structure of wizars is in fact LEFT-TO-RIGHT - and this natural structure of wizard is a metastructure for wizard's elements. Navigation in single page must respect this metastructure - and you really don't have to wonder if the NEXT (="go RIGHT!" ) link should be actually on the right side. Yes, it should :].

Greetings,
KPK

"WIRTUALNA POLSKA" Spolka Akcyjna z siedziba w Gdansku przy ul. Traugutta 115 C, wpisana do Krajowego Rejestru Sadowego - Rejestru Przedsiebiorcow prowadzonego przez Sad Rejonowy Gdansk - Polnoc w Gdansku pod numerem KRS 0000068548, o kapitale zakladowym 67.980.024,00 zlotych oplaconym w calosci oraz Numerze Identyfikacji Podatkowej 957-07-51-216.

Are you moving the user forward progressivly in a linear fashion towards a goal such as a guide or a cart&register flow? Is there no particular good reason to go back other than e.g. to correct mistakes?

Yes, this is a multi-page form similar to a checkout process (can't put it all on one page as some choices affect the screens that will be displayed later).

It drives me nuts when blogs have "older posts" to the right and "newer posts" to the left. I don't care which blogging platform it is or how popular it is. It's wrong wrong wrong.

It depends whose time you're referring to. Reading down the page usually corresponds to 'forwards' in the user's time but 'backwards' in the blogs' chronology. Similarly the next page after the front page is forwards in the user's chronology (it comes after the front page) but backwards in the blog's chronology.

To be honest I prefer having 'Older posts' (i.e. next page) to the right and 'Newer posts' (i.e. previous page) is to the left.

Interestingly The Wordpress blog does it this way but Matt Mullenweg's blog (creator of Wordpress) does it the other way.

http://wordpress.org/development/ vs. http://ma.tt/

Finally, you might stop for a moment and consider whether you actually need an explicit back button. Maybe you do, but in my experience users go for the actual browser back button much more readily if they need to go back. Make sure this doesn't break your form.

I think some (many?) people have learned that clicking 'Back' during a checkout process or similar can often cause problems so having an explicit "previous" button can be helpful (though, of course, the back button should also work).

Cheers,

Tamlyn.

Johan Sjöstrand and Jeff Howard have some good points. "Do we really need the back button?"
A multi page form should have a (clickable) index indicating the various steps in the form, and a next button to go to the next page.

--

The next and previous buttons do not behave as "action buttons", but as navigation buttons, and it therefor is more natural to go to the next page by clicking on the right-hand side. In left to right cultures that is.

Andreas

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

Tamlyn,

I think it's a great example of this kind of situation, where using too-simple rules leads to oversophisticated solutions.

In fact: western world is left-to-right: we start looking at the left side of the page, we tend to see left element as "first" and right as "second" and so on. But it depends, as usual.

One of the simply examples are wizards, which you asked about. Natural structure of wizars is in fact LEFT-TO-RIGHT - and this natural structure of wizard is a metastructure for wizard's elements. Navigation in single page must respect this metastructure - and you really don't have to wonder
if the NEXT (="go RIGHT!" ) link should be actually on the right side. Yes, it should :].

Greetings,
KPK

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

Interesting question, Tamlyn. As strong a proponent as I am for left-justification of page-level push buttons with the primary action being leftmost in a dialog box acting as a secondary window, I agree with the majority of responses you've gotten here for wizards: for left-to-right languages - where the population stereotype of going forward is to the right - Back should be left of Next. Also different from the standard dialog, I would also consider further reinforcing the wizard model of a sequence or chain of panels by placing the Back button on the left side and the Next button on the right side of the panel, as opposed to adjacent to one another.

Paul Eisen
Principal User Experience Architect
tandemseven

Original Message
From: discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Tamlyn Rhodes Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 10:40 AM
To: IxDA
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Next & previous button order

As discussed by LukeW in Web Form Design, it's best to have the primary action of a form be the first button that the user sees. For left-to-right languages this means having the primary action on the left and any secondary actions on the right (see A in this illustration
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosenfeldmedia/2366430953/ ). In a multi-page 'wizard' style form, the primary action is usually 'next' or 'continue' and the secondary action is 'back' or 'previous' but at the same time the conceptual model for such forms is that the screens are arranged progressively from left to right (the ipod/iphone interfaces even animate the transition).

In such situations is it better to have the secondary action, 'back', to the left or the right of the primary action, 'next'? Or is there a better solution?

Cheers,

Tamlyn.

However, if the options are "Next/Submit" and "Previous" it does make more sense conceptually to have the back button on the left and the next button on the right.

The tab order, a very important piece of form design, can always be manipulated to put the buttons in the right order.

On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 11:21 PM, Robert Hoekman Jr robert at rhjr.net wrote: In such situations is it better to have the secondary action, 'back', to the left or the right of the primary action, 'next'? Or is there a better solution? Haven't seen any studies on this, but I provide an edge to those who Tab their way through forms by putting the primary action button on the left (in Western world designs anyway) so that it's first in the tab order. The options are the same regardless, and there's an advantage to giving savvier computer users a slightly easier time. -r- Welcome to the Interaction Design Association [trim]

-- Matt Nish-Lapidus
work: matt at bibliocommons.com / www.bibliocommons.com -- personal: mattnl at gmail.com
twitter: emenel

Having conducted multiple studies and tests on this very process, the 'Next' button must be on the left side while the 'Previous' button needs to be on the right.
There are several reasons as to why this is but I will focus on the 2 main ones.

1. One thing I hate when entering serial numbers for a new software is when I have to manually press the 'Tab' button rather then the cursor automatically 'tabbing' to the right. Many developers who are sharp enough to pick up on this have automated the process. This being said, some developers have automated the process to 'tab' to the next button or field. If the last field that precedes the 'Next' button is completed, the 'Next' button is the most logical action and feature in regards to keeping a consistent flow for the user to complete the task at hand. There is nothing more aggravating then having a process flow being interrupted.

2. Users who are Net savvy tend to be quick with their left pinky finger (for 'Tab') their right pinky finger (for 'Enter') followed by their right then left thumb with both pointer fingers locked on the 'F' and 'J' buttons for bearing.
These users who use the keyboard extensively rather then relying solely on the mouse know how to rip through form fields using the 'Tab' and Space Bar. If the cursor does not automatically tab to another field upon completing a previous field, the user rapidly 'Tabs' with the left pinky finger and has adapted to a learned behaviour. Upon reaching the first button in order after completing all required fields, the user is still in 'Tab' and Space Bar mode and will automatically Tab to the button and hammer the Space Bar to proceed with the task.

Placing 'Previous' before the 'Next' or 'Submit' buttons breaks user flow and I strongly recommend against it.

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 10:31 AM, Matthew Nish-Lapidus mattnl at gmail.comwrote:

However, if the options are "Next/Submit" and "Previous" it does make more sense conceptually to have the back button on the left and the next button on the right. The tab order, a very important piece of form design, can always be manipulated to put the buttons in the right order. On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 11:21 PM, Robert Hoekman Jr robert at rhjr.net wrote: In such situations is it better to have the secondary action, 'back', to the left or the right of the primary action, 'next'? Or is there a better solution? [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

Maybe the problem is assuming the "Previous" button has to be anywhere near the "Next" or "Submit" button. Maybe put the "Previous" button at the top? or at the very bottom? Maybe it's not a button at all, but a text link or a graphical link of some sort...

That way the submit button is in the proper place, on the left directly below the form, but it doesn't break the conceptual right hand paging.

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM, Brett Lutchman
brettlutchman at gmail.com wrote:
Having conducted multiple studies and tests on this very process, the 'Next' button must be on the left side while the 'Previous' button needs to be on the right. There are several reasons as to why this is but I will focus on the 2 main ones. 1. One thing I hate when entering serial numbers for a new software is when I have to manually press the 'Tab' button rather then the cursor automatically 'tabbing' to the right. Many developers who are sharp enough to pick up on this have automated the process. This being said, [trim]

-- Matt Nish-Lapidus
work: matt at bibliocommons.com / www.bibliocommons.com -- personal: mattnl at gmail.com
twitter: emenel

I wouldn't put the previous button at the top unless it was at the bottom also. If it's not at the bottom, users will have to scroll up again which is counter-productive. Also, the 'Previous' button may be out of the user's sight.

You may be right about not having it beside it though. Maybe below the 'Next' button so it doesn't look so much like a set of choices with the same value but rather a list of actions in order of importance and flow.

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 11:26 AM, Matthew Nish-Lapidus mattnl at gmail.comwrote:

Maybe the problem is assuming the "Previous" button has to be anywhere near the "Next" or "Submit" button. Maybe put the "Previous" button at the top? or at the very bottom? Maybe it's not a button at all, but a text link or a graphical link of some sort... That way the submit button is in the proper place, on the left directly below the form, but it doesn't break the conceptual right hand paging. On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM, Brett Lutchman brettlutchman at gmail.com wrote: Having conducted multiple studies and tests on [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

The top/bottom thing would really depend on the platform if it's a website, then yes, you might need it at the top and bottom. if it's a desktop app the issue of scrolling off the screen might not be a problem

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 11:37 AM, Brett Lutchman
brettlutchman at gmail.com wrote:
I wouldn't put the previous button at the top unless it was at the bottom also. If it's not at the bottom, users will have to scroll up again which is counter-productive. Also, the 'Previous' button may be out of the user's sight. You may be right about not having it beside it though. Maybe below the 'Next' button so it doesn't look so much like a set of choices with the same value but rather a list of actions in order of importance and flow. On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 11:26 AM, Matthew Nish-Lapidus mattnl at [trim]

-- Matt Nish-Lapidus
work: matt at bibliocommons.com / www.bibliocommons.com -- personal: mattnl at gmail.com
twitter: emenel

On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:40:17 +0100, Tamlyn wrote:

On our pages the continue/submit button is always to the right, and go back is always to the left. We've tested many many people with this design, and I can't recall a single occasion where it caused confusion.

It has caused confusion where buttons have been too similar and too close together.

It seems to be more important for the buttons to be easily distinguished and consistent within a site.

As discussed by LukeW in Web Form Design, it's best to have the primary action of a form be the first button that the user sees. For left-to-right languages this means having the primary action on the left and any secondary actions on the right (see A in this illustration http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosenfeldmedia/2366430953/ ). In a multi-page 'wizard' style form, the primary action is usually 'next' or 'continue' and the secondary action is 'back' or 'previous' but at the same time the conceptual model for such forms is that the screens are arranged progressively from left to right (the ipod/iphone interfaces [trim]

My tests as well as other expert testers in the industry (2 experts 1. Andrew Chak- Usability author of 'Submit Now' and 2. Dave W Small Dir of Tech., Rogers) indicate the same as I've stated.
But regardless of tests, for the reasons that I listed, the chances for disrupted usability and flow is much greater when the 'Previous' button is on the left.

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 4:11 PM, Nick Gassman nick at netwiz.demon.co.ukwrote:

On Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:40:17 +0100, Tamlyn wrote: On our pages the continue/submit button is always to the right, and go back is always to the left. We've tested many many people with this design, and I can't recall a single occasion where it caused confusion. It has caused confusion where buttons have been too similar and too close together. It seems to be more important for the buttons to be easily distinguished and consistent within a site. As discussed by LukeW in Web Form Design, it's best to have the primary action of a [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

On Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:17:12 -0400, Brett wrote:

My tests as well as other expert testers in the industry (2 experts 1. Andrew Chak- Usability author of 'Submit Now' and 2. Dave W Small Dir of Tech., Rogers) indicate the same as I've stated. But regardless of tests, for the reasons that I listed, the chances for disrupted usability and flow is much greater when the 'Previous' button is on the left.

Brett, I can't see a previous post from you in this thread (I've checked on the website too). Did you send it maybe by mistake to an individual? Easily done, given the way the list works. Could you re-post your original message?

Here it is. I don't know why it's not showing for you. I hope others are not getting the same issue.
--

Having conducted multiple studies and tests on this very process, the 'Next' button must be on the left side while the 'Previous' button needs to be on the right.
There are several reasons as to why this is but I will focus on the 2 main ones.

1. One thing I hate when entering serial numbers for a new software is when I have to manually press the 'Tab' button rather then the cursor automatically 'tabbing' to the right. Many developers who are sharp enough to pick up on this have automated the process. This being said, some developers have automated the process to 'tab' to the next button or field. If the last field that precedes the 'Next' button is completed, the 'Next' button is the most logical action and feature in regards to keeping a consistent flow for the user to complete the task at hand. There is nothing more aggravating then having a process flow being interrupted.

2. Users who are Net savvy tend to be quick with their left pinky finger (for 'Tab') their right pinky finger (for 'Enter') followed by their right then left thumb with both pointer fingers locked on the 'F' and 'J' buttons for bearing.
These users who use the keyboard extensively rather then relying solely on the mouse know how to rip through form fields using the 'Tab' and Space Bar. If the cursor does not automatically tab to another field upon completing a previous field, the user rapidly 'Tabs' with the left pinky finger and has adapted to a learned behaviour. Upon reaching the first button in order after completing all required fields, the user is still in 'Tab' and Space Bar mode and will automatically Tab to the button and hammer the Space Bar to proceed with the task.

Placing 'Previous' before the 'Next' or 'Submit' buttons breaks user flow and I strongly recommend against it.

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 6:11 PM, Nick Gassman nick at netwiz.demon.co.ukwrote:

On Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:17:12 -0400, Brett wrote: My tests as well as other expert testers in the industry (2 experts 1. Andrew Chak- Usability author of 'Submit Now' and 2. Dave W Small Dir of Tech., Rogers) indicate the same as I've stated. But regardless of tests, for the reasons that I listed, the chances for disrupted usability and flow is much greater when the 'Previous' button is on the left. Brett, I can't see a previous post from you in this thread (I've checked on the website too). Did you send it maybe [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

On Sep 16, 2008, at 11:21 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

Having conducted multiple studies and tests on this very process, the 'Next' button must be on the left side while the 'Previous' button needs to be on the right.

Don't you have this reversed? Next on the right, Previous on the left?

(We work primarily on transaction/application based systems. We also run regular usability tests. The suggestions below are based on our experience. As always, there are cases where this doesn't apply).

Mouse-based users tend to scan to the bottom right corner with their mouse. It's easy and predictable to target since it's a corner and since the scrollbar is at the right, they're used to moving to this side of the screen.

Keyboard savvy users tend to tab through forms and use the enter key to submit a form.

Making the most desired action first in the list only works for keyboard savvy users, which is the minority. Having it in the most predictable place, at the right, works for the majority.

To make it work for both, you put it at the bottom right and use standard HTML to make the desired action, which is at the right, a "submit" button, while making the less desired action something else (e.g. link, button). If it's a "submit" button, a real HTML submit button, the form will be executed w/the Enter key, satisfying both minority and majority audiences.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

I've had to design a few such forms, but normally prefer to break down large wizard-ish processes into separate distinct actions rather than lead people down a complicated multi-step form...

Anyway, I've had some success meeting both the logical and efficiency objectives Brett describes by making the Next button the tab immediately following the last form field, in the lower right corner, while placing the Previous button (less prominently displayed) far to the left, in the lower left corner. The placement on either side of the form indicates more clearly that clicking Previous takes you backward, while the most likely action lets you tab to the Next button and complete all of the forms pretty quickly. Hitting tab after the Next button jumps to the left to the Previous button, then to the top of the form again. Also, hitting Enter from within the form (as long as the req'd fields are completed) is as good as hitting the Next button, as well, for even more efficiency.

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

Brett Lutchman
Having conducted multiple studies and tests on this very process, the 'Next' button must be on the left side while the 'Previous' button needs

to be
on the right.

Aren't you conflating two problems here?

Putting the 'previous' button on the right so that it occurs at the appropriate place in the tab order is a possible, but very odd, solution to the problem of incorrect tab order, which should be arranged thus (in general, your mileage may vary):

'Previous' going to the left of 'Next' is such a strongly accepted convention in Western culture that you'll definitely throw a proportion of your users if you don't obey it.

Best Caroline Jarrett

Effortmark Ltd
Usability - Forms - Content

Phone: 01525 370 379
Mobile: 0799 057 0647
International: +44 152 537 0379

16 Heath Road
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU7 3AB
UK

At least the Tab problem you can solve easily with the HTML property tabindex... then you can choose which fields come first...

I was going to say that you should put the Next button in the right side and the Previous in the left, because that always made more sense to me... But now as Caroline said that in her studies she had better results with the opposite, I'm not really sure of what you should do.

-- Gustavo Gawry
User Experience Analyst

mob: +55 21 9498 7923

www.gawry.com (portuguese)

Todd I am partly agreeing with you on this. If you look at my statement I am speaking about keyboard savvy users. Mouse users move comfortably (in order) bottom right, top left, top right, bottom left.
Regardless of whether or not they are mouse users, and regardless whether or not they look bottom right first. A mouse user will take more time to consider their actions then a keyboard savvy user would, and will find the Next button on the left if they don't see it on the right. Again, my saying that the 'Next' button being on the left is not so much the only rule, but rather the reduction of the probability of disruption. A mouse user will eventually find the button on the left if it's not on the right.
A keyboard savvy would have their flow broken and would have to press the forward button again, and maybe refill their information if the fields do not remember their information on the present screen and then refill the info again on the previous screen from which they came from (the original screen) and hope the system remembers their information again, and would then have their interactive flow retarded in order to not make the same mistake again.

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 8:34 AM, Todd Zaki Warfel lists at toddwarfel.comwrote:

On Sep 16, 2008, at 11:21 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote: Having conducted multiple studies and tests on this very process, the 'Next' button must be on the left side while the 'Previous' button needs to be on the right. Don't you have this reversed? Next on the right, Previous on the left? (We work primarily on transaction/application based systems. We also run regular usability tests. The suggestions below are based on our experience. As always, there are cases where this doesn't apply). Mouse-based users tend to scan to the bottom right corner with their mouse. It's easy [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

From: Gustavo Gawry [mailto:gustavogawry at gmail.com]

At least the Tab problem you can solve easily with the HTML property tabindex... then you can choose which fields come first...

I was going to say that you should put the Next button in the right side and the Previous in the left, because that always made more sense to me... But now as Caroline said that in her studies she had better results with the opposite, I'm not really sure of what you should do.

No, it wasn't me doing those studies.

My recommendation is:

Best,

Caroline Jarrett

Effortmark Ltd
Usability - Forms - Content

Phone: 01525 370 379
Mobile: 0799 057 0647
International: +44 152 537 0379

16 Heath Road
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU7 3AB
UK

Where users are completing forms or similar, from left to right and top to bottom, then natural flow suggests the "next" button be bottom right. Whether they are a keyboard or mouse user isn't the point in my opinion.

By having only one submit button on the page (for "next" ) and a hyperlink for "back" (or similar), keyboard users (who often don't bother checking the location of the button visually from testing i've done) have no problem anyway, because hitting the Return button still does what they expect. On the other hand, users who look for the button see it exactly where they expect to.

In that way you give users what they visually expect, without in any way disrupting keyboard users.

Lee

http://leemcivor.co.uk/
Original Message - From: Brett Lutchman brettlutchman at gmail.com To: Todd Zaki Warfel lists at toddwarfel.com Cc: Tamlyn Rhodes tamlyn at tamlyn.org; IxDA discuss at ixda.org Sent: Wednesday, 17 September, 2008 14:44:08 Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] Next & previous button order Todd I am partly agreeing with you on this. If you look at my statement I am speaking about keyboard savvy users. Mouse users move comfortably (in order) bottom right, top left, top right, bottom left. Regardless of whether or not they are mouse users, and regardless whether or not they look bottom right first. [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list . discuss at ixda.org
Unsubscribe .... http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
List Help http://www.ixda.org/help

I'm really enjoying this discussion. Thanks to all.

If we're talking specifically about a wizard style form, I tend to position the controls so that "Next" is on the right and "Previous" is on the left. This helps reinforce the notion of progression to my users. As others have suggested, I typically make Next a submit button and Previous a hyperlink so the Enter key performs the appropriate action. This also promotes "Next" as the primary action on the screen. Previous is typically a secondary option.

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

On 17 Sep 2008, at 15:35, Lee McIvor wrote:

Where users are completing forms or similar, from left to right and top to bottom, then natural flow suggests the "next" button be bottom right. Whether they are a keyboard or mouse user isn't the point in my opinion. By having only one submit button on the page (for "next" ) and a hyperlink for "back" (or similar), keyboard users (who often don't bother checking the location of the button visually from testing i've done) have no problem anyway, because hitting the Return button still does [trim]

I'd agree with this. From what I've seen, this setup seems the most intuitive and the least intrusive to users.

However, I think this only really works for web apps.

For desktop apps, using an O/S native style is most appropriate. Users of these kinds of apps are used to working in an environment where 99% of the apps they regularly use have an established look & feel, so I think its best to go with established conventions for this kind of thing (as has been discussed earlier in this thread).

ta b

On Sep 17, 2008, at 9:44 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

A mouse user will eventually find the button on the left if it's not on the right. A keyboard savvy would have their flow broken and would have to press the forward button again

Eventually doesn't seem to be a winning model to me.

Now, unless you have a majority of keyboard savvy users, then I'd still opt for a model that works well for both, not "eventually" for the majority.

Design for the 80%. So, unless 80% of your users are keyboard-based users, then you're best bet is "Previous" left and "Next" right. Even if you have a high degree of keyboard-based users, then using tab order, as others have pointed out, combined with making the default action (e.g. Next) the form submit action, you're in the best of both worlds.

As far as having them next to each other, or one on the far right and one on the far left, we'll we've studied both and haven't seen a significant difference or advantage. We've seen theoretical differences and advantages, but in actual use, we haven't found a significant difference.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

This has definitely sparked some interesting responses. I think the best thing to do is to always go with what your users are saying. I am so amazed by everyone's response and I am totally better off because of it (I'm sure we all are).
For me, I deal with highly educated and complex users who absolutely hate clicking and know how to rip through applications because they simply want to set something up.There is a lot of data entry and setting of devices. (Oh by the way guys, at this time in my life I'm working on internal/ external web apps and not websites. I should have said this from the beginning. This is important to know)
It appears that everyone brings a substantial amount of experience and evidence as to what goes where. For me, I'm very interested in reducing interruptions and getting the user to use the system rather then focusing on setting it up.
For most, it appears that they are focusing on North American public facing users who are logically interpreting flow from left to right and top to bottom.
Both make sense.
As always, test your own system against your intended users and calculate the results.
I have learned something from everyone's input over the last few days...I love this stuff.

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 10:46 AM, Steve Boyd steve.boyd at americredit.comwrote:

I'm really enjoying this discussion. Thanks to all. If we're talking specifically about a wizard style form, I tend to position the controls so that "Next" is on the right and "Previous" is on the left. This helps reinforce the notion of progression to my users. As others have suggested, I typically make Next a submit button and Previous a hyperlink so the Enter key performs the appropriate action. This also promotes "Next" as the primary action on the screen. Previous is typically a secondary option. Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945 [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

Hi Todd,
Eventually is not necessarily negative. Every single one of us will 'Eventually' find something or arrive somewhere whether it's online or not. 'Eventually' does not necessarily mean a lot of time either (it could be less then a second).
Also, I should have stated that the majority of my users are keyboard users for data entry and mining. (Check the last email I mention this) Thanks for your input Todd, I've acquired more depth as to public-facing site design.

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 11:09 AM, Todd Zaki Warfel lists at toddwarfel.comwrote:

On Sep 17, 2008, at 9:44 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote: A mouse user will eventually find the button on the left if it's not on the right. A keyboard savvy would have their flow broken and would have to press the forward button again Eventually doesn't seem to be a winning model to me. Now, unless you have a majority of keyboard savvy users, then I'd still opt for a model that works well for both, not "eventually" for the majority. Design for the 80%. So, unless 80% of your users are keyboard-based users, then you're [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

I think the answer needs to revolve around a few issues, some of which I haven't seen mentioned explicitly.

1) Which order tests best (generally, I've seen Next on the right; Previous on the left test best. I believe it takes advantage of the mental model of pages of a book, though I've never tested that explicitly.)

2) Which (if either) behavior do you want to
encourage/prioritize/valorize. Do you want people to go through a section from this page to the next without ever returning? Do you expect them to narrow something (say search results) by going back and forth and homing in on the correct location?

3) What are the chances of a user making an error and needing to go back to correct the error?

4) What are the consequences to the user if they click the wrong button?

In each of these cases, you need to test and build to accommodate those possibilities. Does it really matter if everyone but one guy gets something right if that one guy then accidentally activated an unrecoverable action? Is it better in such cases if you get more errors of a low-level type that users can recover from? Maybe it's better to add cognitive load in such cases, so that more thought has to go into which button to press.

All of which I think takes the original question out of the context in which it was posed, but I think we need to consider the idea that the Good is not always the same in every context.

Katie -- Katie Albers, Senior Director
Web-Based Services
Mary-Margaret Network
Find. Grow. Work. Play.
+1 310 356 7550 (voice)
+1 877 662 3777 x 709
katie at mary-margaret.com
http://www.mary-margaret.com

Brett,

Just to be clear, previous = left / next = right doesn't only apply to mass-public websites. I too design applications that are industry, rather than consumer, focused. Of course, a number of the apps I've worked on are tablet-based with finger and/or stylus input, so keyboard is barely a consideration there.

Best, Jack

Jack L. Moffett
Interaction Designer
inmedius
412.459.0310 x219
http://www.inmedius.com

You could design a process to catch
everything, but then you're overprocessing.
You kill creativity. You kill productivity.
By definition, a culture like ours that
drives innovation is managed chaos.

-Alex Lee
President, OXO International

Ok everyone jump on the bandwagon we're leaving in 10 minutes. Another 100 people could jump in the convo and say the same about the Previous being on the left and Next on the right, it's not going to change the my past usability tests and a decade of interaction design experience- although I will always be a student of usability.
The fact remains that the next logical primary action is to move forward with the process. A web page is not a book. There is no going back a few chapters or moving past the boring parts to get ahead. A common mistake that many amateur North American usability 'experts' make is assuming everyone goes from left to right.
My task is simply to provide an intuitive path for the user to accomplish their task and to bring whatever steps are necessary in moving them forward to the forefront.
Again, (I feel like a recording) having the Next on the left followed by Previous reduces the changes for interrupting the user's flow. Again, in the tests that I have conducted and as others here have stated as well, this is not merely based on opinion or whether or not user's tend to look at the bottom right, it's based on the studies that I have conducted. Many designers default to the right because Search is followed by a button, upload, browse, etc., are followed by a button to the right or beneath. The North American mindset 'assumes' that the right side means forward. True IA and Usability Specialists know otherwise. (not saying that no one here is not a true IA- I'm just implying that learned IAs think universally and holistically in regards to digital design and not just left to right and top to bottom)
Whether the Next link is an actual button and the Previous is a hyperlink, it is commonly already understood that the user knows that some form of moving forward is at the bottom. If they look bottom/right and see that it's not there, Low and Behold, they simply look to the left and the Next button smacks them right in the face...no harm done and the user simply moves on. Especially when a form is Left Justified for readability, users will naturally look to the left to proceed forward.
Any questions.

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 6:07 PM, Jack Leon Moffett jackmoffett at mac.comwrote:

Brett, Just to be clear, previous = left / next = right doesn't only apply to mass-public websites. I too design applications that are industry, rather than consumer, focused. Of course, a number of the apps I've worked on are tablet-based with finger and/or stylus input, so keyboard is barely a consideration there. Best, Jack Jack L. Moffett Interaction Designer inmedius 412.459.0310 x219 http://www.inmedius.com You could design a process to catch everything, but then you're overprocessing. You kill creativity. You kill productivity. By definition, a culture [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

I sent this to Brett earlier rather than the list. He did reply to me, but I'll leave it to him whether he wants to forward it to the list.

I'm getting really confused by what shows up on the list, what on the webpage, and wotnot. I sent this post earlier from the webpage, but it hasn't shown up yet.

Brett, I'm surprised that in your previous post you would say

'But regardless of tests, for the reasons that I listed, the chances for disrupted usability and flow is much greater when the 'Previous' button is on the left'

I'm assuming that you are basing your recommendations on testing and research rather than personal opinion.

brettlutchman at gmail.com wrote:
Having conducted multiple studies and tests on this very process, the 'Next' button must be on the left side while the 'Previous' button needs to be on the right. There are several reasons as to why this is but I will focus on the 2 main ones. 1. One thing I hate when entering serial numbers for a new software is when I have to manually press the 'Tab' button rather then the cursor automatically 'tabbing' to the right. Many developers who are sharp enough to pick up on this have automated the process. This being said, [trim]

I agree for that circumstance. There are a couple of considerations in reply.

1) Tab order doesn't have to follow visual order, as someone else pointed out. In html you can specify the tab order, which you would sometimes do differently for users with disabilities. I think a key point is that you are specifying a visual layout here to cater for people not using the visual cues.

2) Leading on from that, is everyone like you? The design you go for would differ for different audiences and purposes. If you are registering some software for developers, you might well find that most people tab. If you are installing a kindergarten programme, you might well find that most users don't tab, and are confused by the cursor jumping to the next field without them noticing. In years of observation of customers using ba.com, I do know that relatively few our customers tab.

2. Users who are Net savvy tend to be quick with their left pinky finger (for 'Tab') their right pinky finger (for 'Enter') followed by their right then left thumb with both pointer fingers locked on the 'F' and 'J' buttons for bearing. These users who use the keyboard extensively rather then relying solely on the mouse know how to rip through form fields using the 'Tab' and Space Bar. If the cursor does not automatically tab to another field upon completing a previous field, the user rapidly 'Tabs' with the left pinky finger and has adapted to [trim]

Erm, is that a different point, or the same one? I would regard myself as relatively savvy, and do use the tab key, but don't know what you're using F and J for, and haven't noticed other people using them. Again, the point is to design for your audience, and there's a danger in too broad generalisations.

There's another consideration also. On travel commerce websites, the primary purpose (both business-wise and for visitors) is to sell tickets. I think it's unlikely that even ardent tabbers would tab their way through an entire page of flight lists, options, information links etc. On such a page, the button to confirm your choice and progress to the next page is typically to the right, indicating progress. If that's what users of such sites experience the most, then it would be risky to change the order of buttons on less-used pages that submit forms. I think the appearance and positioning of actions buttons on a website is something that is important to have a degree of internal consistency.

If you take tabbing out of the equation, we've found that the visibility/obviousness of the continue button (or any button) is probably more important than the exact positioning. Luke in his book advises against the use of red buttons due to potential confusion with error messaging, but I've never seen this happen in practice, and red stands out the most. I'd also caution against the use of red and green as contrasting colours, as red/green is the most common form of colour blindness (I'm red/green blind).

It's an interesting discussion.

Nick, I take that as a personal attack. You replied to me personally and I did the same. If you do it publicly, I'll do the same. Part of being an Expert is going against the North American-Mindset and setting Trends based on Tests, Human Factors, Holistic Design, Best Practices and Personal Conviction. I will never back down from anything based on my Findings and Non-Biased Logical and Scientific Conclusions. I will ALWAYS have a reason for the Logic of how I think and for what my Users are saying and implying in my Studies.

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 9:31 PM, Nick Gassman nick at netwiz.demon.co.ukwrote:

I sent this to Brett earlier rather than the list. He did reply to me, but I'll leave it to him whether he wants to forward it to the list. I'm getting really confused by what shows up on the list, what on the webpage, and wotnot. I sent this post earlier from the webpage, but it hasn't shown up yet. Brett, I'm surprised that in your previous post you would say 'But regardless of tests, for the reasons that I listed, the chances for disrupted usability and flow is much greater when the 'Previous' button is on [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

On Sep 17, 2008, at 9:31 PM, Nick Gassman wrote:

I'm assuming that you are basing your recommendations on testing and research rather than personal opinion.

And that would be a mistake. I really can't imagine valid tests showing the Prev button on the left being more usable.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

Then Keep 'Assuming'.

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 10:02 PM, Todd Zaki Warfel lists at toddwarfel.comwrote:

On Sep 17, 2008, at 9:31 PM, Nick Gassman wrote: I'm assuming that you are basing your recommendations on testing and research rather than personal opinion. And that would be a mistake. I really can't imagine valid tests showing the Prev button on the left being more usable. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: todd at messagefirst.com AIM: twarfel at mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter: zakiwarfel In theory, theory and practice are [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

Sorry Todd, but at this point, Google has got me sooooo confused that I don't know how to respond or whom to respond to regarding this message. I am not the first to express this and hopefully not the last. I don't know if you are 'For' or 'Against' what I'm saying. Apologies in advance.

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 10:08 PM, Brett Lutchman brettlutchman at gmail.comwrote:

Then Keep 'Assuming'. On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 10:02 PM, Todd Zaki Warfel lists at toddwarfel.comwrote: On Sep 17, 2008, at 9:31 PM, Nick Gassman wrote: I'm assuming that you are basing your recommendations on testing and research rather than personal opinion. And that would be a mistake. I really can't imagine valid tests showing the Prev button on the left being more usable. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel President, Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: todd at messagefirst.com [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

On Sep 17, 2008, at 7:41 PM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

Ok everyone jump on the bandwagon we're leaving in 10 minutes.

Hey, I'm not trying to gang up on you, Brett. I was already sitting on the bus when you stepped on. I'm sorry if I offended, but it sounded as if you were brushing everyone off that was disagreeing by saying, "well, you're all designing websites, and that's different." I think the issue is pretty fundamental.

Another 100 people could jump in the convo and say the same about the Previous being on the left and Next on the right, it's not going to change the my past usability tests and a decade of interaction design experience- although I will always be a student of usability.

I wasn't trying to convince you that you're wrong. You know your users better than I do. But your test results and experience don't mean that your solution applies everywhere else.

A common mistake that many amateur North American usability 'experts' make is assuming everyone goes from left to right.

I think the majority of us probably are aware that the left to right, top to bottom flow only applies to cultures that read in that direction. The users of all of the applications I have designed thus far happen to fall into that bucket.

Whether the Next link is an actual button and the Previous is a hyperlink, it is commonly already understood that the user knows that some form of moving forward is at the bottom. If they look bottom/right and see that it's not there, Low and Behold, they simply look to the left and the Next button smacks them right in the face...no harm done and the user simply moves on.

But isn't that a break in the flow as you're trying to avoid? For many of us, that would be the flow for the majority of our users.

Especially when a form is Left Justified for readability, users will naturally look to the left to proceed forward.

I must disagree. Perhaps your users do, but I cannot believe that this is in any way "natural" for "North American" users. There would have to be other elements at play to direct the user's attention.

Speaking of top and bottom, I just happened to think of a UI I designed not long ago that placed the previous and next buttons above the content. Why? Because that was the place that made the most sense for them given the rest of the UI. Of course, in that particular case, they were not the primary means of navigation.

There are many things that can influence the direction of attention. I would suggest that reading direction is a good starting place for deciding where to place previous and next buttons, but the designer must consider all of the influences to determine the best location.

Best, Jack

Jack L. Moffett
Interaction Designer
inmedius
412.459.0310 x219
http://www.inmedius.com

Design is like California.
No one is born there.

-Dick Buchanan

Sorry, Brett, had to jump in because you're contradicting yourself a bit here. I think your approach is starting to lose credit. Let me see if I can help below.

On Sep 17, 2008, at 7:41 PM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

The fact remains that the next logical primary action is to move forward with the process.

Absolutely. Keep in mind that people may theoretically be logical, but practically not.

A common mistake that many amateur North American usability 'experts' make is assuming everyone goes from left to right.

Well I'm not an amateur N. American usability expert (feel free to google me, I'm not going to list my pedigree here). The majority of the world we design for on-line does read left to right. However, when designing for cultures that read right to left, then design accordingly.

My task is simply to provide an intuitive path for the user to accomplish their task and to bring whatever steps are necessary in moving them forward to the forefront.

As is any good designer worth their weight. Intuitive!=logical. There are a lot of things that impact intuition, like culture, past experience, visual design, etc.

Again, (I feel like a recording) having the Next on the left followed by Previous reduces the changes for interrupting the user's flow.

I just don't buy this, not globally anyway. Over a decade of testing both models has shown me otherwise. And I'm not the only one. Speak to just about any HCI professional who's been doing this for a long time and they'll tell you otherwise. Yes, we read left to right, however, when we reach the end of a form, our expectation is that the form actions are at the bottom right corner. Want evidence, just watch where people move their mouse. Not to mention that their mouse is typically there as well from having scrolled down — Fitz's law.

I'm not saying some people won't look for the first button at the left, then right. But I am saying that what you're claiming isn't what "most non right to left reading on-line users actually do in real life." Perhaps that's what your audience does, but then your audience wouldn't equal to the average non-right-to-left-reading on-line user.

Again, in the tests that I have conducted and as others here have stated as well, this is not merely based on opinion or whether or not user's tend to look at the bottom right, it's based on the studies that I have conducted.

I'd really be interested to know more about these studies you've run. W/o the context of the audience, the tasks, and some background, it makes it really difficult, and frankly dangerous, to apply your logic here globally.

As a design researcher, I know that when seeing the results of a study, the first question is "how was it run?" I'm not saying your evidence is false, I'm saying that w/o real context, it doesn't really help as much. Sorry, that's just the nature of true, experienced research.

Many designers default to the right because Search is followed by a button, upload, browse, etc., are followed by a button to the right or beneath. The North American mindset 'assumes' that the right side means forward.

Hmm, that's odd, because most designers I know put the default button to the right, because it's been accepted as best practice based on over a decade of HCI research. Guess we know different designers.

Whether the Next link is an actual button and the Previous is a hyperlink, it is commonly already understood that the user knows that some form of moving forward is at the bottom. If they look bottom/right and see that it's not there, Low and Behold, they simply look to the left and the Next button smacks them right in the face...no harm done and the user simply moves on.

But this breaks your theory of "most intuitive." Now you're making them hunt. If they're automatically looking bottom left, then just put it there. Eventually finding it doesn't equal intuitive and not breaking their flow in my book. But maybe that's just me.

Especially when a form is Left Justified for readability, users will naturally look to the left to proceed forward.

To the next field, but not necessarily for the final action button. You're failing to notice, or acknowledge that there's a difference between a processing/call to action and filling in a form field. These are slightly different mental processes cognitively.

As always, know your audience and design accordingly. Oh, and when you're making research claims or sharing findings, it's helpful to share some background and context.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

*Todd*, if any credit is lost it would have to be my users and I would never put the blame on them.
Attacking someone's credit is a low-political blow when people don't want to debate any more and are looking for a way to be right. Many revolutionist appear to have low-credit because they believe in their agenda.
I don't have to Google you, don't be insecure. I have many IA friends who are experts and wont appear in Google.

Jack in many ways you are saying the same thing I am. You are right that my solutions don't apply everywhere else. Like I said, I'm not making the rule, my users do.
Again,
best practices mean nothing when your users are saying different. I always make my designs with best practices in place, but I leave room for change and innovation from User-testing results.
There are times when I actually do put 'Next' on the right, but it's not by my own doing- it's based on feedback from tests.
And no your not ganging up on me, I love these conversations. At the end of the day I'll forget about it look forward to a home-cooked dinner from my awesome wife.
She always puts the fork on the right-side, but we all know that the fork goes on the left.
Have a fantastic day gentlemen, feel free to respond, I'll be waiting...Muhuhuhhahahahahahaa!

On Thu, Sep 18, 2008 at 12:07 AM, Jack Leon Moffett jackmoffett at mac.comwrote:

On Sep 17, 2008, at 7:41 PM, Brett Lutchman wrote: Ok everyone jump on the bandwagon we're leaving in 10 minutes. Hey, I'm not trying to gang up on you, Brett. I was already sitting on the bus when you stepped on. I'm sorry if I offended, but it sounded as if you were brushing everyone off that was disagreeing by saying, "well, you're all designing websites, and that's different." I think the issue is pretty fundamental. Another 100 people could jump in the convo and say the same about the Previous being on the left and [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

On Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:45:23 -0400, Brett wrote:

Nick, I take that as a personal attack. You replied to me personally and I did the same. If you do it publicly, I'll do the same.

Part of being an Expert is going against the North American-Mindset and setting Trends based on Tests, Human Factors, Holistic Design, Best Practices and Personal Conviction. I will never back down from anything based on my Findings and Non-Biased Logical and Scientific Conclusions. I will ALWAYS have a reason for the Logic of how I think and for what my Users are saying and implying in my Studies.

I can't imagine why. When I posted to you privately by mistake, I intended to post to the list. It wasn't a secret, and in that post I did point out that I found the posting confusing. Having discovered my mistake, I then sent the message to the list as I intended. What I didn't do was to forward on your reply to the list - as I said, that's up to you.

So I sent you a message, then sent the same message to the list, and you take that as a personal attack?

We're having a debate here. We don't all agree. If we did, there wouldn't be the same value. You're entitled to your opinion, and your idiosyncractic use of capitalisation, but you shouldn't take disagreement, debate, and mis-routed emails as personal attacks.

Interesting question indeed.

How about adding context and separating these two actions along vertical axis? Here is what I mean:

1. Show summary of completed steps at the top of the wizard screen with "Edit" button — this is your "Back" button.

2. Put only one "Next" button at the bottom of the screen (aligned with the left edge of the fields per Luke's recommendation). This is optimal solution, IMO.

For small screens (iPhone), putting "Back" button at the top of the screen and "Next" at the bottom should do the trick.

-- Oleh Kovalchuke
Interaction Design is design of time
http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm

On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 9:40 AM, Tamlyn Rhodes tamlyn at tamlyn.org wrote:

As discussed by LukeW in Web Form Design, it's best to have the primary action of a form be the first button that the user sees. For left-to-right languages this means having the primary action on the left and any secondary actions on the right (see A in this illustration http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosenfeldmedia/2366430953/ ). In a multi-page 'wizard' style form, the primary action is usually 'next' or 'continue' and the secondary action is 'back' or 'previous' but at the same time the conceptual model for such forms is that the screens are arranged progressively from left to right (the [trim]

Idiosyncratic. (hee hee)

On Thu, Sep 18, 2008 at 2:35 PM, Nick Gassman nick at netwiz.demon.co.ukwrote:

On Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:45:23 -0400, Brett wrote: Nick, I take that as a personal attack. You replied to me personally and I did the same. If you do it publicly, I'll do the same. Part of being an Expert is going against the North American-Mindset and setting Trends based on Tests, Human Factors, Holistic Design, Best Practices and Personal Conviction. I will never back down from anything based on my Findings and Non-Biased Logical and Scientific Conclusions. I will ALWAYS have a reason for the Logic of how I think and for what my Users are [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

One aspect of "previous" and "next" that bears mention here is that conceptually they could be considered a pair. If the design situation calls for both regularly, it's sort of like the situation with "rewind" "play/pause" and "forward" wherein they're hardly even separate controls. (And of course time moves on to the right.) Multiple control options within a set could be visually designed to appear as much like one as possible, and placed together in the best optimal-for-the-user-to-see location.

This thread is fairly ludicrous because of the lack of context for both the original question and additional inputs. Still, both amusing and educational as long as we stay polite! : )

Cheers,
Liz

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

lists at elizabethbacon.com (Liz) wrote:
One aspect of "previous" and "next" that bears mention here is that conceptually they could be considered a pair. If the design situation calls for both regularly, it's sort of like the situation with "rewind" "play/pause" and "forward" wherein they're hardly even separate controls. (And of course time moves on to the right.) Multiple control options within a set could be visually designed to appear as much like one as possible, and placed together in the best optimal-for-the-user-to-see location.

It's worth reflecting that that's what the browser controls are like.

As an aside, I'm sending this from my web-based version of home email (it gets complicated). I fill in a text field to write this, then if I go bottom left, the most obvious button is actually 'inbox', which loses my inputs. I've done that more than once. So why am I looking to the bottom left? I don't think I do that on other forms.

The 'send' button is placed more to the right. They are both html buttons. If the 'send' button had a stronger design to make it stand out, then I think it would work better. It goes to show that often you can't just take individual dimensions, but it's the interaction between elements that makes the whole (e.g. positioning, colour, size, etc)

Nick

Wow, I never expected my question to spark such an intense discussion but I've been reading all the replies with great interest.

As regards context, I was deliberately a bit vague because I was looking for general rules rather than a solution to a specific situation but we are currently designing a three-page form where the choice on the first page affects the options available on the second page and the third page is a summary/confirmation of the first two choices. Therefore "Continue" is very much the primary action but "Back" is useful in order to change previous choices.

I like Oleh's suggestion of showing a summary of previous choices with an option to edit each. That's something we do elsewhere on the site and it seems to work.

Otherwise I think the most sensible option, as suggested by the majority in this thread, is a bold "Continue" button in the bottom right and a lighter "Back" link in the bottom left - the form is only about 550 pixels wide so they won't be too far apart. The only reason I didn't go straight for this solution is LukeW & Etre's eye-tracking study which showed that a form works best when the primary action is on the left, aligned with the form fields.
http://www.lukew.com/resources/articles/PSactions.asp But I guess, as usual, it depends!

Thanks for all the great insights,

Tamlyn.

I was personally a bit confused when i installed Firefox 3 and used the Find feature for the first time. The widget order is:

Find: (? search string) [Next] [Previous]

This broke my mental model of the direction in the document.

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

On Sep 19, 2008, at 6:07 AM, Tamlyn Rhodes wrote:

I didn't go straight for this solution is LukeW & Etre's eye- tracking study which showed that a form works best when the primary action is on the left, aligned with the form fields.

That's also just one study, which contradicts years of HCI research. I would interpret this to mean that either it's an unusual case, or that time are changing. It's difficult to know w/o follow up studies.

A few cautions about eye-tracking, having done a few studies myself, it only measures where people look and for how long. It doesn't tell you why they looked there or where they clicked. It doesn't measure hand-eye coordination. Where people look is important, but ultimately, it's important to know where they looked, where they clicked, and why. Eye-tracking only provides part of that answer, just like web log analytics only provide part of that answer.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

Anders,

this is interesting case, because mental model collides with action primacy here. In most of cases you are searching documents from top to bottom - so pressing "next" is main and most often realized action after typing a phrase and pressing ENTER. This, connected with horizontal layout of search-box, leads directly to problem you have mentioned. I don't know if there is any best solution.

Greetings,
Kordian

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

I can't help but think in pictures, so I mocked up two more or less efficient ways that both perspectives could work well, here: http://tinyurl.com/3k2d92

Obviously, they're 5 minute mockups, but perhaps it might help clarify the two different views. In the first case, it would seem pretty silly to put the Previous button to the left of Next, while in cases 2 and 3, Previous could go to the right of Next, but that doesn't seem to flow as well in those layouts.

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

Brian,

But wouldn't this layout work better than any of those three?

http://gallery.me.com/jackmoffett# 100025

On Sep 19, 2008, at 1:50 AM, Bryan Minihan wrote:

In the first case, it would seem pretty silly to put the Previous button to the left of Next, while in cases 2 and 3, Previous could go to the right of Next, but that doesn't seem to flow as well in those layouts.

Jack L. Moffett
Interaction Designer
inmedius
412.459.0310 x219
http://www.inmedius.com

In our society,
the scarce factor is not information,
it is time to attend to information.

- Herb Simon

Jack,

Yeah, that's probably the design I would wind up with, myself =]

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

Wow. I'm late to the party, but I'm really happy to see this topic being discussed because I've been losing faith in the "people read from left to right" rule. If this problem were as simple as that then we wouldn't have buttons floating all over the place.

I think it really depends on the layout, but my casual observation tells me submit buttons work very well on the right.

There seem to be overwhelming examples of previous(left) next(right). I can't see how or why to change that. The mental timeline puts the past on the left and the future on the right.

I think it might be wrong to think of the submit button as the "first choice" (because it's the primary action). It could be thought of as the "final choice" (after all other page elements, including "Cancel" ).

Seems like everywhere I look I see the primary button on the bottom right (computer monitor, phone, calculator, enter key...)

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:07:12 +0100, Tamlyn wrote:

I like Oleh's suggestion of showing a summary of previous choices with an option to edit each. That's something we do elsewhere on the site and it seems to work.

I think that speaks to what I think is a generally accepted principle of user reassurance, which includes playing back selections that have been made, both to let people know that their inputs have been correctly recorded, and to allow them to correct any wrong inputs.

Otherwise I think the most sensible option, as suggested by the majority in this thread, is a bold "Continue" button in the bottom right and a lighter "Back" link in the bottom left - the form is only about 550 pixels wide so they won't be too far apart.

The way we do this is to use different colours, where another option is to use strong and light of the same colour. I think that both options should be visible and obvious, but it should also be obvious which is the primary option.

- Nick Gassman - Usability and Standards Manager - http://ba.com *

On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:50:23, Bryan wrote:

I can't help but think in pictures, so I mocked up two more or less efficient ways that both perspectives could work well, here: http://tinyurl.com/3k2d92

Bryan, that's great. It's been pointed out more than once that we're discussing the issues outside of context, and without examples. This really helps. We should do more of it.

The first dimension that I would add to your designs would be colour. You are using (I think) standard html buttons, and elements of additional design that many websites use can impact usability. If the primary action had a strong colour, it could do a lot to counter position, and fit better with the mental models that others have referenced.

- Nick Gassman - Usability and Standards Manager - http://ba.com *

Bryan: going to mockups was such a brilliant move! Talking and talking and talking about design, art, or any craft, should be left to critics - i.e., failed designers / artists / craftsmen.

My suggestion:
http://icograma.com/qd/next-prev-100026.gif

--

Santiago Bustelo // icograma
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

Hi guys, just getting back to this now, my messages have been captured by the Moderator and I'm only learning this style of communication now. Sorry for that.
Nice diagrams Bryan. I can see why it's so important to view illustrations because the example that you illustrated was nothing like how I pictured it. I can totally understand the need to see it so everyone has an exact reference point.
The example you give of the Next on the left was not what I had in mind. (especially when no arrow is added to it and it's purposely bunched together with the other buttons and there's absolutely no distinction) I mocked up how I have always done mine. I used your example Bryan to show the example I was talking about earlier in the week (I hope you don't mind). Here is what I have always been doing. Not trying to press the issue but this is what I've been doing all along. Am I really wrong for doing this? I just don't see it.
next part
[snip]

A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: past-example.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 6801 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: http://lists.interactiondesigners.com/pipermail /discuss -interactiondesigners.com /attachments /20080919 /f1015210 /attachment.gif

Hi Brett! Really loved your layout. Also proof that pictures are worth a thousand words.

Certainly I won't call anyone on this thread a failed designer, either. AFAIK we are all fellow designers, no critics are lurking ... right?

--

Santiago Bustelo // icograma
Buenos Aires, Argentina

On 19/09/2008, at 18:42, Brett Lutchman wrote:

Guys I really hope your getting this because I have already tried to send it out twice. I'm sending this out again. Hi guys, just getting back to this now, my messages have been captured by the Moderator and I'm only learning this style of communication now. Sorry for that. Nice diagrams Bryan. I can see why it's so important to view illustrations because the example that you illustrated was nothing like how I pictured it. I can totally understand the need to see it so everyone has an exact reference point. The example you [trim]

LOL Thanks Santiago you are a gentlemen as well as a good layout artist.

On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 7:28 PM, Santiago Bustelo
santiago at bustelo.com.arwrote:

Hi Brett! Really loved your layout. Also proof that pictures are worth a thousand words. Certainly I won't call anyone on this thread a failed designer, either. AFAIK we are all fellow designers, no critics are lurking ... right? — Santiago Bustelo // icograma Buenos Aires, Argentina On 19/09/2008, at 18:42, Brett Lutchman wrote: - Guys I really hope your getting this because I have already tried to send it out twice. I'm sending this out again.* Hi guys, just getting back to this now, my messages have been captured by the [trim]

-- Brett Lutchman
Web Slinger.

There seem to be overwhelming examples of previous(left) next(right). I can't see how or why to change that. The mental timeline puts the past on the left and the future on the right.
Seems like everywhere I look I see the primary button on the bottom right.

Hi Eric,
thank you for joining in the convo.
Based on the wording of your email, the same logic can be applied to having menu buttons and links on the left side of web pages. There are overwhelming examples of websites that do this and it seems like everywhere I look I see that most websites have their menu buttons and links on the left side as opposed to the right (where I believe it should be.) It doesn't make it right because everyone is doing it or because 'studies' have said so (even though studies do hold a lot of weight and I begin my designs with these best practices and make changes after testing).

The purpose of my example was to illustrate the power of a left primary call to action as opposed to positioning it on the right. I have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that my illustration is right smack-dab in the user's face and can not be skipped, confused, denied or ignored (if we're being honest).

Let's face it, if we are all true artists, there are going to be times in our craftsmenship that we are going to make slight changes and go against the grain because of our experience in the industry and because we have learned the formula and know how to break the 'rules' in order to make a good design better.

I have learned this tactic and have instituted it time after time after time again.

You have echoed what has already been shared here numerous times and I believe that's why we had to go to illustration.

Most say right- I say left...can't we all just meet somewhere in the *Middle *? (pardon the pun)

Who's Next?

: )

http://flickr.com/photos/30668660@N06/2871312900/sizes/o/

Brett Lutchman
Here is what I have always been doing. Not trying to press the issue but this is what I've been doing all along. Am I really wrong for doing this? I just don't see it.

Hi Brett

Thanks for the example.

Now I can see why it works. Previously, I thought you were talking about a 'Previous' button given the same visual treatment and prominence as your 'Next' button.

Now I see that you have a 'Next' button placed just where I've found that it works best, i.e. placed vertically below the left-hand end of the fields.

Then you have a small 'Previous' link that happens to be placed to the right of the 'Next' button. Users won't see it unless their task has changed and they go looking for it.

Personally, I'd suggest putting the 'Previous' link on the left of the page but it's a minor point and I wouldn't stress over it.

Best Caroline Jarrett

Effortmark Ltd
Usability - Forms - Content

Phone: 01525 370 379
Mobile: 0799 057 0647
International: +44 152 537 0379

16 Heath Road
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU7 3AB
UK

Thanks Caroline,
and just to recap, I'm not saying that I'm right. I'm just saying that based on my tests, and personal experience, I have determined that my approach has been the most effective for me personally.
I don't really want to offer the Previous as a choice to my users, even though it is available.
I want my users to say "I want to take a step back or cancel but I can't do it with out jumping over this huge Next call to action button on the left. Who the hell put this thing here!"
(This is all part of my plan to take over and rule the Internet, and when I do, everyone who agreed with me will be on staff.) In all honesty, I may be playing dirty by the tactic I'm using- but it pleases the clients.
One thing I've learned is that even though all the best practices and studies appeal more to the end-users, I have learned to please the clients more by bringing their missions up front to make them feel that I have captured their intentions, and without compromising the integrity of appealing to end users with proven best practices. After all, best practices and studies are in place to make the end users happy and as a result, making the client happy as well. I just like to make the client happy first by making their processes very easy to move forward, and a little uncomfortable for the end user to move back.

Caroline, I will however try your recommendation with moving the Previous to the left side because as you state, I have already captured the point with the Next button being vertically on the top.
In my next opportunity to do this, I honestly will. You have taught me something here. I made adjustments to best practices because I wanted to be more effective. However, In my adjustments and effort to being more effective, if I can simply reorder my process back to having the Next on the right (based on proven studies), but yet keep my vertical separation- how much more effective will I be by amalgamating best practices and my innovations?

Caroline if this works, when I take over the Internet I'm putting you 2nd in Command.

From: Brett Lutchman [mailto:brettlutchman at gmail.com]

Caroline, I will however try your recommendation with moving the Previous

to the left side because as you state, I have already captured the point with the Next button being vertically on the top.
In my next opportunity to do this, I honestly will.

As you've discovered, there often isn't one absolute best practice. It's a question of balancing:
(a) the advice you get
(b) - more important - the business goals you want to achieve (c) - and in my view the most important - what you find out from real users when they use it, both in real life and in usability tests.

You have taught me something here. I made adjustments to best practices

because I wanted to be more effective. However, In my adjustments and effort to being more effective, if I can simply reorder my process back to having the Next on the right (based on proven studies), but yet keep my vertical separation- how much more effective will I be by amalgamating best practices and my innovations?

I wouldn't put Next on the right. I'd keep Next right where you have placed it, vertically under the left-hand end of the fields. But I do agree with you: it's always worth continuing to experiment with different approaches, test them with some users, accept that sometimes the various advice and/or one's brilliant idea doesn't actually work with your users for whatever reason.

Caroline if this works, when I take over the Internet I'm putting you 2nd

in Command.
Steady on! (blushes) It's just a form, it isn't a solution to famine or anything :-)

Caroline
Caroline Jarrett

Effortmark Ltd
Usability - Forms - Content

Phone: 01525 370 379
Mobile: 0799 057 0647
International: +44 152 537 0379

16 Heath Road
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU7 3AB
UK

Caroline if this works, when I take over the Internet I'm putting you 2nd

in Command.
Steady on! (blushes) It's just a form, it isn't a solution to famine or anything :-)

Hey, I know the position doesn't pay good but the opportunity is still there if you want it. : )

Brett: Thanks for the reply, and no, I definitely don't mind your using my sample for your mockup, and yes, I agree your layout is yet another solution to the problem that works great in a lot of situations. I could see using your layout in a form where Previous is not a very likely scenario and the overwhelming direction of a process flows from first to last.

I don't design many wizards (primarily due to the complexities identified here), but the few I have designed were a lot more free-flowing and haphazard than what your layout dictates. In one such case, the "wizard" was just a series of preference pages that could be completed in any particular order. We just provided the Next and Previous buttons to give people a sense of linear direction, so making them almost equally prevalent was important (to let people know you don't HAVE to go forward and backward). Also, in that process, you could land on any step in the process without having started on the first page.

Perhaps my process wasn't a wizard after all =]. Just goes to show how perspective makes a big difference in the approach to a design problem, and that there is never one right answer.

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

On Sep 18, 2008, at 9:12 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

Todd, if any credit is lost it would have to be my users and I would never put the blame on them. Attacking someone's credit is a low-political blow when people don't want to debate any more and are looking for a way to be right. Many revolutionist appear to have low-credit because they believe in their agenda. I don't have to Google you, don't be insecure. I have many IA friends who are experts and wont appear in Google.

Brett,

Perhaps you missed the point. When contradicting decades of research and traction, if you want to be taken seriously and credible, you're going to need to provide more evidence then "because I said so, " or "because of a test I ran." A real researcher will question the testing and analysis of the results. It's in our nature.

Being a researcher, you learn quickly that the data doesn't lie, but the interpreter of the data can make it say anything they want.

I don't know that I would equate the previous/next argument to revolutionist theory, but...

My comment about credibility was targeted at your argument, not you personally. Subtle, but important difference. One of the things that might help you in the future is keep in mind that in a scientific- based field, when presenting something that goes against the grain of decades of research, you're going to need to do better than just saying you tested it.

Tested it how? With how many people? What's the whole story? What's the context?

If you think that the entire field should just accept what you say without answering these questions, then you'll be disappointed.

As for the idea that I was attempting a low-political blow because I don't want to debate the issue any more, well you couldn't be more mistaken. Clearly you don't know me very well. I'm always up for a good debate, for better or for worse. But I expect the person I'm debating to come with evidence to support their claim, which is what I was asking you to provide.

PS. As for the googling me comment, it has nothing to do with insecurity. It's not some deep psychological game. To quote Freud "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Rather than take up public space with my background and experience, I was simply letting you know if you wanted to know more about me it wouldn't be too hard to find.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

On Sep 21, 2008, at 1:00 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

Most say right- I say left...can't we all just meet somewhere in the - Middle *? (pardon the pun) http://flickr.com/photos/30668660@N06/2871312900/sizes/o/

Providing this illustration from the beginning would have saved a lot of wasted time on this argument. The illustration you've provided actually isn't what most of us have interpreted as "Next on the left, Previous on the right."

When looking at the graphic, what's actually there is The main call to action isolated, then a visual split in the design represented by a horizontal line, then another visual space with the remaining actions at the right.

What you described:
Next | Previous

What the illustration shows:
NEXT Previous | Save & Close

These are two significantly different design models.

I think if you would have started the conversation off providing this illustration you wouldn't have received the arguments you did.

This is one of the main reasons I do more prototyping and less documentation writing. An illustration is much clearer than words. If we want evidence of this, then look no further than this thread.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

*Brett,
* Perhaps you missed the point.

Todd, Perhaps you didn't make yourself clear.

*Providing this illustration from the beginning would have saved a lot of wasted time on this argument.*

You don't know that. Sometimes we have to go through this process to come to the conclusion that diagrams were needed. I don't call any of this 'a lot of wasted time'.
You didn't have to be in the conversation in the first place. All of this is purely voluntary.

Anyways, judging by people's responses I have made a strong and justified case which has been accepted. In all honesty, I really don't care about the 'years of research and studies'. I get way more out of these conversations then I do from reading others people's books and attending classes. I care more about listening to what my users are saying (I know you do too).

*Tested it how? With how many people? What's the whole story? What's the context?*

Not even 1 of these questions matter. Even if I answered and said "I tested it standing on my head with 10 candidates in clown suits in this kind of context in this situation"...the fact remains that my users came to the conclusion that I suggested from the beginning.
I'm not going to make a scientific case to go against 'years of scientific research'. Most people here don't.
I'm going to be the guy listening to the person saying "Can we move this thingy over here to make it easier to press?"

In all honesty I don't care about the years of research. You have your degree and I have mine. I have learned way, way more by simply speaking to people to get answers. If you have read my bio there are 2 things I am know for saying:

1. Human Touch before Human Factors

2. If you want to know how your users really feel, take off the damn lab coat and go stand in line with them.

I never once suggested that the entire field should accept what I say as you stated in your response, but after long deliberation, I have come to the scientific conclusion that if everyone here listens to what I say, there won't be any problems.
I tested this.

On Sep 22, 2008, at 9:54 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

Providing this illustration from the beginning would have saved a lot of wasted time on this argument. You don't know that. Sometimes we have to go through this process to come to the conclusion that diagrams were needed. I don't call any of this 'a lot of wasted time'. You didn't have to be in the conversation in the first place. All of this is purely voluntary.

Really? Interesting how once you provided an example, the responses were "Oh, that's what you meant. Now I get it." However, before that point, there were a number of "I really don't see how that would work better."

And what you described wasn't what the actual example showed. What you described:
Next | Previous

was something that most of us know, would be counter intuitive, confusing, and contradict what you were claiming.

However, what you showed with the illustration:
NEXT Previous | Save & Continue

Immediately cleared up the confusion.

I'm simply recommending that in the future, you take a page from your own recent notebook and when providing something that you clearly think is controversial, which is what started the conversation in the first place, provide an illustration to "illustrate" your point.

That will save a lot of confusion and time. Additionally, it's clear your point will be made clearer and faster.

Anyways, judging by people's responses I have made a strong and justified case which has been accepted.

Once the illustration was shown.

Tested it how? With how many people? What's the whole story? What's the context? Not even 1 of these questions matter. Even if I answered and said "I tested it standing on my head with 10 candidates in clown suits in this kind of context in this situation"...the fact remains that my users came to the conclusion that I suggested from the beginning.

These are the questions that matter. Bad data in, bad data out.

I'm not going to make a scientific case to go against 'years of scientific research'. Most people here don't.

And to quote you, following what everyone else does doesn't make it right. And I'd beg to differ with you. Those of us who do credible research actually do provide context when reporting what we found. Just look at recent posts on Search by Christina Wodtke, and past posts by Jared, myself, and others.

In all honesty I don't care about the years of research.

Clearly.

You have your degree and I have mine. I have learned way, way more by simply speaking to people to get answers. If you have read my bio there are 2 things I am know for saying:

Yes, we have our degrees. Whoopeee! I personally put more credit in someone who balances their degree with field work, then anyone staying in a lab, or only working in the field. It's about balancing theory and practice. Both are critical to the design process and making the "right" decision.

I never once suggested that the entire field should accept what I say as you stated in your response, but after long deliberation, I have come to the scientific conclusion that if everyone here listens to what I say, there won't be any problems. I tested this.

Now, that's probably the most humble thing I think you've said to date.

Cheers!

Todd Zaki Warfel
President, Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: todd at messagefirst.com
AIM: twarfel at mac.com
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.

Todd, thank you for your private message. No one has ever spoken to me like that before. I am still in awe of the kind words that you wrote me. I can't believe that you took the time to write all of that. (I'm going to show my wife the message you wrote me.)
I apologize for being sarcastic in my responses. In my defense, I did not mean it in an 'attacking way', but rather a 'Smart-Alec' way, (I hope that made sense.) I had no idea of the way I was coming across. In the future I will try to watch what I say and will also try to take advice from my fellow peers with a better attitude. Thank you.

On Sep 22, 2008, at 10:50 AM, Brett Lutchman wrote:

thank you for your private message.

And thus ends another episode of "As The List Churns".

Tune in next week, when we'll hear David say, "... but design is more important than sex!"

It looks like LukeW have been reading this thread and posted an article with his opinion about it.
http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?730

Regards,

Gustavo Gawry
User Experience Analyst
Voice: 55 21 9498-7923
Email: gustavogawry at gmail.com
Blog: http://gawry.com (in portuguese)
Twitter: gawry

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

I totally agree with Johan Sjöstrand. Also a good example is a book:

If you want to go further, you go to the lower right corner and if you want to go back, you go to the lower left corner.

Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945

A fresh example of the placement of the next and previous buttons (left or right) would be on the Ads of the World site that came up under a different thread.

http://adsoftheworld.com/media/online/national_grid_floe

If they were tracking THIS users' mouse, they would have watched my falter, as I went to click "next" and found "Previous" in it's place. I think this is a good example of when it doesn't work.

On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 9:41 AM, Viktor Reiter vikibeni at yahoo.de wrote:

I totally agree with Johan Sjöstrand. Also a good example is a book: If you want to go further, you go to the lower right corner and if you want to go back, you go to the lower left corner. Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list . discuss at ixda.org Unsubscribe .... http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help http://www.ixda.org/help

I love this article because it highlights a common fallacy: placement is everything. Clearly, placement is part of the solution, but so are the affordances. A strong button, a softer call out of the link... placement can be of secondary importance is the rest of the design is coherent.

On Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 8:53 AM, Gustavo Gawry gustavogawry at gmail.comwrote:

It looks like LukeW have been reading this thread and posted an article with his opinion about it. http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?730 Regards, Gustavo Gawry User Experience Analyst Voice: 55 21 9498-7923 Email: gustavogawry at gmail.com Blog: http://gawry.com (in portuguese) Twitter: gawry Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=32945 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list . discuss at ixda.org Unsubscribe .... http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help http://www.ixda.org/help