[thelist] RE: checked or unchecked boxes

[Scott Brady]

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 12:47:30 -0500, ANDREA STREIGHT  wrote:
> If anyone out there knows a legit reason to "pre-select", other than the
> specific case originally mentioned, which is very different from what I
> thought it was, I'd be pleased to hear about it.

For me, it depends on if I think that most people viewing the page
will check the box or not. If it's a situation where I can reasonably
(and ethically) presume that most people will want a box checked, if I
pre-select the box, I save most of my users a click.  (If I know that
most of my users want HTML e-mail [say I've polled them], then in
their profile, I may have "Send e-mail in HTML format" pre-checked, so
that most of my users won't have to check it.")

Yes, it can be used inethically.  But, if you reverse the wording,
leaving a box unchecked can also be unethical.

Personally, I don't see how leaving it pre-checked or unchecked
removes the choice from the user.  If they're not paying attention,
they can get just as screwed from an unchecked box as they can from a
checked box.

The important part isn't whether the box is checked or unchecked --
it's what checking/unchecking that box actually represents.

Scott

-- 
-----------------------------------------
Scott Brady
http://www.scottbrady.net/