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RE: Step structure (was RE: a question about verb tense/is or was ?)
Subject:RE: Step structure (was RE: a question about verb tense/is or was ?) From:"Walters, Christian (CCI-Atlanta)" <Christian -dot- Walters -at- cox -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 22 Mar 2001 12:07:58 -0500
Probably a judgment call depending on the situation and your user base. By
the time I have reached for the manual or found the help button, I am
already annoyed at the program and just want to know what the hell I am
doing as quick as I can. Don't want to read through two lines of text until
I get to the action.
Of course, if you're at a place where you could do irreparable harm to your
software, your hardware, or yourself, you don't want to just casually
mention what you have to do. Big warning icons, etc., and with any luck a
confirmation box to prod you to double-check everything.
If all you're doing is displaying a menu or opening a dialog box, I think
you can shove the qualifiers to the back and get on with the action from the
get-go.
Except it tells the user WHY they want to do it, which may be/usually is
very important info. I have seen users just glance at the instructions, see
the first part of the sentence and do it. Then they wonder why this is
happening.
To delete your file, click Delete.
To delete your entire database, click Delete All.
The reason you are doing these is important to know BEFORE you do it.
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