Re: [Usability] Using nouns or verbs for the disclosure widgets

[Calum Benson <Calum Benson Sun COM>]

On 6 Jun 2006, at 13:01, Sebastian Heinlein wrote:

> would you recommend to use a noun for the disclosure widgets e.g.
> "Details" or verbs e.g. "Show details"/"Hide details"?

Hmm... out if interest I looked at the Apple guidelines, and it said  
that verbs were preferred, then illustrated the guideline with an  
example using a noun :)  Seems like it's not just our HIG that has  
that kind of problem...

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/ 
OSXHIGuidelines/XHIGControls/chapter_18_section_7.html#//apple_ref/ 
doc/uid/TP30000359-TPXREF141

Personally, I've always labelled disclosure widgets in the same way  
I'd label a frame, i.e. with a noun (but without the bold text, of  
course).  The direction of the arrow, in conjunction with the  
presence or absence of controls below it, seems sufficient to  
indicate the current shown/hidden status IMHO.  And dynamically  
changing text is never much fun for screenreaders to keep up with  
either.

> There is no corresponding section in the HIG.

Yeah, that placeholder's been there a while :/  I really want to get  
stuck into the HIG post-GUADEC (assuming I'm not one of Sun's unlucky  
5000....)

Cheeri,
Calum.

--
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson sun com            Java Desktop System Team
http://blogs.sun.com/calum             +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems