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Subject:RE: "Select" in lieu of other verbs From:"Spectrum Writing " <SpectrumWriting -at- q -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:40:30 -0700
A little late to the party, but here is verbatim text from a former gig's
styles and standards that addressed the use of select, click, etc.
HTH,
TVB
Use "select" when discussing generic procedures rather than those that are
typically carried out by a mouse or other pointing device. Use "select" if
the same action can be carried out multiple ways, depending on the user
interface device in use (such as for <> products, which might make use of
touchscreen devices, keyboards, pointing devices, or all three).
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+spectrumwriting=q -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+spectrumwriting=q -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of Stephen Arrants
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 12:31 PM
To: Gene Kim-Eng; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: "Select" in lieu of other verbs
When I worked at Microsoft (in Ye Olden Dayes of the 80s) we videotaped
users following instructions on using the mouse. When told "Using the
Microsoft Mouse, click the left mouse control on the OK button on your
computer screen" (such golden prose) most of the users would dutifully
pick up the mouse, run it over the monitor and click the left mouse
button. Nothing happened. EPIC FAIL.
> Gene Kim-Eng
> This would appear to argue for "Touch or press OK."
>
> BTW, this may be hopelessly out of date, but about
> 20 years ago I worked on a system where we decided
> to replace a light pen interface with a touchscreen
> (CRT, of course). We ended up using "press," after
> discovering that most people confronted with visual
> buttons on a monitor screen actually did *press*
> them as if they were physical buttons, and if they
> didn't get the expected response pressed the
> screen *harder* on repeat attempts.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
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solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. http://www.doctohelp.com
Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
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