Some sites you can go back to retrieve your post, others will just present you with a newly empty form.
If you spun the mouse wheel every single custom scroll widget would rapidly change value! Things like jumping from "Single" to "Divorced." I ended up just dropping them from my comparison because I was so unsure of the data I had provided them.
I know that it would be irresponsible for them to send me back my password in plain text, so I guess I can live with it. But it is still annoying.
Many other forums basically wipe out your post, which is highly frustrating.
It's a multi-browser plugin that allows you to recover lost form content.
Disclosure: I know the people behind the company.
Guess which button throws away all of your work.
Not easy in every case, but generally HTML5 localStorage helps in here:
https://github.com/bergie/midgardmvc_ui_create/blob/widgetiz...
Then, I actually did some research.
First, there are instances where reset buttons have a place. From Jakob Nielsen's post Reset and Cancel Buttons (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000416.html): Reset can be useful for forms that satisfy both of the following criteria:
- the form is filled-in repeatedly by the same user
- the data to be entered differs significantly from one use of the form to the next
For cancel buttons, my "never ever" opinion was flawed because I refused to see the reset or cancel button from the viewpoint of users unlike myself. I spend a lot of time building these things (as most of you do). I know how forms work. After actually sitting down with users that don't, and people that don't spend that much time online, I found another thing to be true: People are afraid that form data will be submitted even if you hit the back button. They want the Cancel button to ensure their data won't be collected against their will.
A point the article makes but then ignores is the button's layout & design. Layout for these buttons is key. If they have to be used, they shouldn't inputs or buttons. I've found that the best design for these is a plain text Reset or Cancel link that's opposite the Submit or Next button. An alert is also key. Using one can instill confidence, assuring the user that their information will be cleared and not submitted.
However, there are a number of reasons these buttons could fade out of use, not limited to the following:
- Users are becoming more familiar with the way the web works. They understand that form data isn't submitted until a submit button is clicked. Because of this, forms are generally a trusted interactive element.
- With the widespread use of AJAX, it's only a matter of time before form data is collected in the user session before a submit button is clicked. It's already being used in some places to track successful conversions & Lead Dropouts (Sitecore OMS is one). If this becomes common, forms will revert to being less trusted. Reset and Cancel buttons won't fix this, though.
The rule I follow is much the same as it's always been: Don't use Cancel or Reset buttons. Though now, I understand the exceptions and plan accordingly. Think about the target audience for each specific form and include the appropriate functionality.
I'd still say that the lack of undo and the lack of confirmation in that particular widget makes it a bad idea... although a "get me out of here" link may very well be in order...
the people-who-know-less-about-the-web-than-me seem to crop up a lot ... oh yeah, they're the ones paying me... so generally they get what they ask for even if it does mean i have to come back in a week and remove the "please lose my changes" button...
unproductive) Microsoft on the server sucks!
productive) Microsoft software is expensive and nobody here is an MS-expert, migrating will cost considerable time and money without any real benefit.
Perhaps instead of reset a "do not submit" button is required. But then if I changed my mind about what I'm writing but still want to send a message things get a little lame.
How can you tell for example that going back doesn't instead save the comment as a draft (like the SMS interface on my [pretty old] Sony Ericcson phone).
I disagree with the article, I think there is a place for a reset/clear function.
However, I do agree that clearing the message can have its uses, but as it's a secondary action, it deserves a far less prominent position for the button (e.g. maybe as an option on the long-touch menu, but at least not where you'd expect the Send button to be). On this app, it's in the primary action space and doesn't ask confirmation before wiping your message.
the thing in the interface that tells you that you're looking at a browser is up to you... in my mind, the address at the top, starting with http:// is the part of the UI that says my changes will be thrown away...
this is kinda why i'm miffed that there is an explicit "throw my changes away" button, when that's the default behaviour
Edit: we use the wording "Clear" not "Reset" btw.
now it's a long time I haven't seen a useful reset button.
I can see how some naïve users might want the extra-confirmation that they are cancelling this action – but I there's not reason for them to be visually similar and positioned almost next to each other.
you'd be surprised to hear that i had a need to use both of them in the same day and they both got me with it...
Is there a greasemonkey script to get the browser to ignore them; are there extensions for any browser to do this without greasemonkey?
or with a user stylesheet?
input[.reset]{display:none;} what is the right css? I haven't used it in a while?
input[type=reset] { display: none; }
[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/selector.html#attribute-selectors
Should do it on most browsers.
If you have a "related reading" section you might want to also use it to post some links to those guides. We are here to help each other, aren't we?
And: No, I don't use reset buttons.
That hides them all from view.
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pmfh3uGxAv9cSUByhqbbSC...
It's like a poorly designed roadway section that just happens to cause more accidents. Bad Engineering.
Admittedly, I don't use them much, usually going with a "Cancel/Close" link that takes the user out of the record-editing view.
http://almostobsolete.net/noresetbuttons.html
It should work as an extension in Chrome or with Firefox if you have Greasemonkey installed.
> There are lots of guides on website usability, go and find one for yourself.
... some of which should tell you that having an automatically scrolling display right next to something you (supposedly) want people to read, is a bad idea.
