Tell me more ×
User Experience Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for user experience researchers and experts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

What is the correct position for the 3 buttons:

Yes - No - Not now (or Yes - No - Later)

is it Yes - No - Not now

or is it Yes - Not now - No

This will be on a windows 7 windows application, on a message box.

share|improve this question
You answered it yourself in the question. Your intuitive ordering probably makes the most sense to you.... it does to me too. – Itumac Mar 15 at 20:30

2 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

Since you mentioned Windows, I would direct you to the Windows UX guidelines on confirmations: Confirmations

They recommend the Yes - No - Not Now form (Yes/No/Cancel). I would however recommend more semantic button labels than 'Yes' and 'No', but I know this is just a question about positioning.

Edit (in response to Isaiah's answer): Yes, these are "guidelines" but if you are trying to make an idiomatic Windows UI it pays to follow them - users of Windows will be accustomed to this ordering from using other applications.

share|improve this answer
2  
+1. You have a point with your edit. My purpose in saying it like I did was that ultimately, one should do what intuitively works best for the user's situation. – Isaiah Nelson Mar 15 at 20:26
2  
I don't disagree with your position, but unless @sharp12345 provides more context, I think the best recommendation is to follow the idiomatic UX guidelines for Windows. – Joshua Barron Mar 15 at 20:28
+1 this is a great answer since following context convention is key. Love it! – Benny Skogberg Mar 15 at 20:49
up vote 0 down vote

I dont know about "correct" as I dont think there is a correct way personally. The UX guidelines as cited by Joshua are still "guidelines". I think deciding this comes down to you and the situation you want place your user in.

Personally I think having Yes - Not now - No gives the user a buffer between a concrete "Yes" and a concrete "No", preventing them from "fat-fingering" or "fat-clicking" the wrong option. It may sounds silly, but if your user had the "Jittery Joes" (drank too much coffee) and accidentally clicked the "No" which just so happened to be right by the "Yes" that they intended to click then having this buffer is key. This is even more relevant when accidentally clicking the "Not now" gives them a way to come back later and give a firm / concrete answer.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.