[thelist] RE: checked or unchecked boxes

[ANDREA STREIGHT]

Scott Brady:

I repeat: I said I personally know of no situation where a box could 
legitimately be "pre-checked", but I'm not Omniscient, so there may indeed 
be a permissible context.

I still have not heard or seen any.

Yes--"check here to receive newsletter" is vastly superior to "uncheck here 
to not receive newsletter".

Would you like to go shopping at the grocery store, and all the carts are 
"pre-filled" with several items the store thinks most people should want to 
buy?

Would you like to have your spouse "pre-selected" and you have to divorce 
the person to "un-select" them?

Would you like to have your TV programs "pre-selected"? Your government 
officials, from top to bottom?

All the marketing gurus I know of, including me, state that consumers 
appreciate and seek choice. It's *almost* always better to offer *multiple* 
versions of products, rather than "one size (and color) fits all".

See: in every case, I question--why are you "pre-selecting" for me? I 
suspect that this is wide open for con artists to hope you are in a hurry, 
as the majority of web users are, so you may neglect, in your hurry, to 
"un-check" the option.

Sweepstakes promoters, junk mail distributors, etc. have been trying scams 
like this for ages, and it took legislation to stop them. Of course these 
slugs just stoop to newer levels of lowness and use a different ploy until 
the law comes down on it.

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.

I know that even the most universal rules often have some exceptions to 
them. By knowing the exceptions, we gain deeper wisdom.


Steven Streight
STREIGHT SITE SYSTEMS
Web Usability Analysis
Web Content Writing
Online & Direct Marketing

astreight at msn.com

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