CHAPTER 3
Controls
3-4 Buttons
If your application has buttons whose names change during the operation of
the application, the application must resize the button when its name
changes so that the spacing always conforms to the guidelines.
Naming Text Buttons 3
Keep button names short. Never use more than three words for a button
name, and try to limit button names to one word. Capitalize button names
like book titles. That is, always capitalize the first and last words of the name,
and capitalize all other words except articles (a, an, the), coordinating
conjunctions (for example, and, or), and prepositions of three or fewer letters.
Since button names should seldom be more than two words, almost all
words in button names should be capitalized.
Avoid punctuation and symbols in button names. Except for very common
symbols such as an ampersand (&), users find symbols ambiguous. Do not use
ellipses (…) in the button name even if tapping the button displays another
slip. However, a button name should begin with a diamond symbol (◆) if
the button pops up a picker. (For complete information on pickers, see
Chapter 4, “Pickers”).
Naming Take-Action Buttons 3
A user typically reads the text in a slip until it becomes familiar, and then
relies on visual cues, such as button names or positions, to respond. To assist
users in quickly spotting which button in the slip initiates an action, name
the take-action button with a specific verb such as Print, Fax, or File. These
words are self-sufficient, whereas vaguely affirmative names such as OK and
Yes require the user to scan other parts of the slip to verify what action the
button initiates. Figure 3-4 compares a specific button name to a generic
button name in the same context.