How would you handle users who don't read dialog boxes? [closed]

Answer 1

Changing the wording and how the dialog works helps. For example, having OK/Cancel buttons tends to let users ignore most of the dialog. If you remove the normal buttons and replace these with wordier commands links, users are more likely to read each button because the 'quick, go away' option isn't available.

Answer 2

Don't use confirmation (Are you sure? Yes/No), but use Undo.

Don't pop-up warnings that will are blocking, because users will try to get working again as fast as possible, disregarding the message and just clicking it away. Use something like the information bar from Internet Explorer, which is not blocking.

Answer 3

You can avoid using dialog boxes alltogether! In some programs there's a minibuffer that shows errors and warnings. Along that, it may also ask you a thing, where you must type what you want to do. It is quite clean and nice solution, I tend to prefer it over a menubar.

But if you really must use dialog boxes, try this:

• One sentence per dialog only
• At most two or three buttons
• Make the text readable inside the dialog (bigger, black-on-white)
• Rather use one dialog than many small repeatedly (tip: listbox)

What do I think about dialog boxes? In nutshell: They are dumb and stupid things. Programs that use them get on my way and slows me down with their stupid meaningless questions. Also, often programs that use dialog boxes are rather dumb.

Answer 4

I have little patience with users who do not read what has taken me a lot of time and effort to develop: 1) the application 2) the instructions Aside from that, if you do not read and just do "whatever it takes" you are on your own. I state that up front. I design my applications to be as intuitive as possible and still there are people who will make support phone calls out of the blue, like a child blurting out in class when they shouldnt be. I have no tolerance for that. Read the manual, read the dialogs - the answers to 99% of the problems are right there.