[Sigia-l] Form Usability - Search & Cancel location

[Boersma, Peter]

Steph asked:

> We are developing an online
> multi-step form and a question has come up about the
> placement of certain "action" buttons - namely the
> Submit and Cancel buttons. (note: Cancel is a required
> option for this application because of the multiple
> step nature of the form.) 
[snip]
> I was wondering if anyone out there has had any
> experience with this issue or any thoughts on which
> option is more "usable".

It sounds like you're describing a Wizard-like solution. If that is the case
(please explain if that is not the case), you might consider including a
"Previous" button, and calling the "submit" "Next" (and "Finish" on the last
screen).

Clicking the wrong button on screens where the order is
"Cancel"|"Previous"|"Next" is less desctuctive than when it says
"Cancel"|"Submit".

See my colleague Martijn van Welie's pattern about Wizards for some more
design guidance:
	http://www.welie.com/patterns/wizard.html

Peter
-- 
Peter Boersma, Consultant Information Ergonomics
<mailto:peter.boersma at satama.com>

Satama Interactive
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http://www.peterboersma.com/