Comment Re:This is just a little bit crazy. (Score 1) 498
I think there are quite a few valid criticisms of the article, but I'm inclined to agree with it on the subject of confirmation dialogs.
The problem with confirmation dialogs is that they tend to increase the amount of work a user must do to accomplish something without creating a barrier that limits accidental use. As you pointed out, people don't read them, they just click through.
What the original article fails to do is point out better alternatives. One better solution is to make the action easily reversible. If you can easily undelete a file, then being able to easily delete it accidentally is much less of a problem. If the action cannot be made reversible, then it is worth considering changing the interface in a way that makes it harder to accidentally trigger it (i.e. changing the activation gesture, plastic covers over switches, interlocks that prevent you from starting the car when it is in gear...).
The problem with confirmation dialogs is that they tend to increase the amount of work a user must do to accomplish something without creating a barrier that limits accidental use. As you pointed out, people don't read them, they just click through.
What the original article fails to do is point out better alternatives. One better solution is to make the action easily reversible. If you can easily undelete a file, then being able to easily delete it accidentally is much less of a problem. If the action cannot be made reversible, then it is worth considering changing the interface in a way that makes it harder to accidentally trigger it (i.e. changing the activation gesture, plastic covers over switches, interlocks that prevent you from starting the car when it is in gear...).
