Re: Two-words and one-words GUI elements

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Thu, 2008-04-24 at 23:24 +0100, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote:
> On Apr 23, 2008, at 9:21 PM, Matteo Settenvini wrote:
> > ...
> > Il giorno mer, 23/04/2008 alle 12.59 -0500, Shaun McCance ha scritto:
> >>
> >> There are a number of -bar and -box terms where there's
> >> disagreement on whether they should be one word or two.
> > ...
> > Well, as your report suggests, for UI elements we use mostly the 
> > "joint" form. I'd like much more the two-words version, though. I find 
> > that much clearer to read and understand -- more descriptive and less 
> > looking like a geeky invention.
> 
> Compound words sometimes become single words over time. I think this 
> happens at different speeds for different terms, depending on how 
> common they are (with more common terms having greater pressure to 
> become shorter), which is why none of us seem to be particularly 
> consistent in our opinions.
> 
> Using the one-word form, while most other people don't, looks dorkish: 
> I think this is the case for "statusbar", "menubar", "titlebar", and 
> "fullscreen".
> 
> Conversely, persisting in using the two-word form, after most people 
> have switched to the one-word form, looks out of date: I think this is 
> the case for "check box".

That's a good synopsis of the one-word vs two-words
situation.  It doesn't seem like we'll find a magic
bullet answer.  We're just going to have to figure
this out on a word-by-word basis.

> > I'd like to see "radio button" really go away, far away, never to turn
> > back. It's way better using the term "option" and that's all; if you
> > need to refer to some of these options, you just call them a "group of
> > options", and you ask the user to "choose one of the following 
> > options".
> >
> > If he reads of "choose your sex with the right radio button, selecting
> > Male or Female" he'd panic, but "choose your sex between Male and
> > Female selecting the right option" is enough for anyone to understand.
> > The exact wording of the last sentence can be further improved, of
> > course.
> > ...
> 
> This is a really good point, and not just for radio buttons. Earlier I 
> recommended using the term "window" for all windows, regardless of 
> type. I recommend a similar approach here for controls: wherever 
> possible, avoid referring to them by type.
> 
> Usually you can refer to controls solely by label, and this is shorter 
> too. For example:
> *   Instead of "Click the 'OK' button", say "Click 'OK'".
> *   Instead of "Ensure that the 'Show canvas border' checkbox is
>      checked', say "Ensure that 'Show canvas border' is selected".
> 
> Where you absolutely must refer to a control by type, I suggest using 
> "check/uncheck the ... box" for checkboxes and "click the ... button" 
> for radio buttons.

Interesting that you and Calum, both usability guys,
instinctively went with check and uncheck as verbs,
while every style guide out there explicitly says
not to do this.

It makes me wonder if that particular recommendation
is more due to pedantic language luddites than trying
to make the language accessible or common.

--
Shaun