Re: Left vs. right alignment
Kathy Moore <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.web.chi-web |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
The following all argue for top or right alignment of labels against inputs: Jennifer Tidwell: Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interface Design, Right/Left Alignment, pp. 116-117. This pattern appears in the book but is not one of the patterns shown in her website excerpts. http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/000107.php Apple Style Guide: http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuid elines/XHIGLayout/chapter_19_section_2.html The first of these links suggests placing labels above text or text-entry fields, but this sometimes increases scrolling more than it's worth. Right-aligning the labels is especially helpful if these vary greatly in length, creating big gaps between short labels and their inputs when two left-aligned columns are used. Tidwell recommends putting submit buttons on the right for balance and because righthand placement fits them into a left-to-right reading pattern appropriately as the last elements on the page: http://designinginterfaces.com/Diagonal_Balance See http://confluence.sakaiproject.org/confluence/x/pIw for a widely-used compromise, left-aligning submit buttons under the righthand column with other elements that require user input. Kathy Moore [email protected] 617-666-9723 http://www.kathyemoore.com <http://www.kathyemoore.com> -----Original Message----- From: ACM SIGCHI WWW Human Factors (Open Discussion) [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Laurie Roshak Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 12:36 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Left vs. right alignment I'm in the middle of a debate whether: * Should field labels should be left or right aligned with a text field/drop-down list/etc.? * Should buttons on a primary page be left or right aligned with the page content? * Should buttons on a secondary page be left or right aligned with the page content? * Should buttons on a login page be left aligned or centered with the text boxes? Can someone point me to user research, best practices and/or style guides that address these topics? Laurie Roshak Director of Product Management, User Experience MX Logic Inc. Direct: 720.895.4439 Fax: 720.895.5757 [email protected] www.mxlogic.com <http://www.mxlogic.com> Named an "Emerging Vendor" by CRN <http://www.mxlogic.com/news_events/in_the_news/abstracts/crn071906.cfm> -------------------------------------------------------------- Tip of the Day: Use the archives to research common questions CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[email protected] MODERATORS: mailto:[email protected] SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Tip of the Day: Use the archives to research common questions CHI-WEB: www.sigchi.org/web POSTINGS: mailto:[email protected] MODERATORS: mailto:[email protected] SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES & FAQ: www.sigchi.org/web/faq.html --------------------------------------------------------------