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I have a list of checkboxes, all of which have to be checked in some cases (dependent on previous selections) in order to proceed. It is important that the user reads all the checkbox labels, i.e. doesn't just blindly click true to everything. In case the user can't check everything, he needs to go to previous step and change previous selections or not to send the form. So essentially if user doesn't want to check all options, he has understood the process wrong.

Currently I have submit button disabled until all options are checked, and a message that informs about the options mentioned above. I don't feel confident about it, because it still seems too easy to click true to all options without them being actually true, which will cause problems later. Is there a better way to do this?

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    There will be between 10-20 checkboxes.
    – Boat
    Dec 4, 2017 at 16:42
  • Are you saying that there are Groups of checkboxes, and the user needs to select something in each Group? But you don't want just a default answer chosen? I don't know how to force a user to comprehend a form.
    – user67695
    Dec 4, 2017 at 17:05
  • @nocomprende Maybe it's clearer if you think about them as toggle: on default each is false, but then there is one use case where you need to have every one of them true to proceed. And no, there are no groups, just one list.
    – Boat
    Dec 4, 2017 at 17:59
  • It sounds like you are trying to cause a user to go through every one of a series of steps, but not just check the "I did it" box. It seems like you need some kind of a "Wizard" rather than just checkboxes. You say you need all boxes checked for the Submit button to be enabled, but you don't want the user to just check them all. Seems a bit odd. They have to check them all, but you don't want them to check them all???
    – user67695
    Dec 5, 2017 at 15:12
  • @nocomprende Important word in this context is "blindly": chekcing options without reading what options he is checking.
    – Boat
    Dec 5, 2017 at 15:54

2 Answers 2

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One option would be to have the user type a certain phrase that expresses comprehension of what they're indicating rather than just clicking a checkbox and moving on.

For example, if you try to delete a repository from GitHub, they very effectively prevent reflexive or mindless actions:

Note: This is an extremely obstructive way to ensure your users know what they're doing and intend to do it. I would be extremely hesitant to employ this exact solution for a large group of options, but you can evaluate for yourself if your use case warrants it.

delete confirmation from GitHub

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It depends how many options and checkboxes you have there in the end, but maybe it makes sense to create a multi step form with grouped checkboxes to reduce the cognitive load as I understand you have at the moment when all the checkboxes are visible. So my suggestion is to group the answers and make steps out of them so that you can go to the next step only once you have checked what you need to check. Less options = more focus on what's there.

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  • Mr Wizard to the rescue.
    – user67695
    Dec 5, 2017 at 16:42

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