[thelist] Accessibility/usability of "Select Option" at top of list

[Julian Rickards]

Just so that it is clear, I meant "Select option" as a generic phrase: at
the top of a country list, "Select Country" or at the top of a spots list
"Select favourite sport", etc.

On 15/01/07, Steven Streight <steven.streight at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I am against pre-checked check boxes and I think it was on this discussion
> list about a year or two ago that we debated it endlessly. If an option is
> generally desired by the vast majority of users, you could have a default
> option pre-checked. You see this done on email newsletters, where the HTML
> version is normally the pre-selected option, and you have unselect it and
> select Plain Text version if that's what you want.
>
> "Select Option" is rather dry wording. Better to be more casual and
> friendly, like "Select HTML or Plain Text version".
>
> As I read your email more closely, you claim to have seen "Select Option"
> as
> first option in an options selection list? That's crazy. Why would anyone
> do
> that? Sounds very stupid at face value. "Select Option" is a headline, not
> an option in itself.
>
>
>
> On 1/15/07, Russ <russ at unrealisticexpectations.com> wrote:
> >
> > > On many forms, we see something to the effect of "Select Option" as
> the
> > > first option in a select list. Does anyone see an accessibility or
> > > usability
> > > issues with having this "invalid" option?
> >
> > I think there are a couple of different approaches to it--from my stance
> > on
> > the work that I've done where these have been used, it has been better
> to
> > NOT provide a default value that could allow someone to easily be
> > mis-categorized, but to instead utilize some method of error checking to
> > ensure an option is actually selected, if that is a required value.
> >
> > --Russ
> >
> > --
> >
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>
>
>
> --
> Steven Streight aka Vaspers the Grate
> Web Usability. Blog Revolution. Online Marketing.
>
>
> http://www.vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com
> --
>
> * * Please support the community that supports you.  * *
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-- 
Website: http://jrickards.ca
Blog: http://pen-and-ink.ca
E-mail: julian dot rickards at gmail dot com