Best way to insert a clear button in a datagrid cell

Question

I have a datagrid (or, more general, a data structure) in which the user, with a proper button, can clear data by only one column. Since that requirements force me to implement different moments to clear data for each single line, is it correct to replicate a "clear" icon in every column's cells? (Image below). Is there a way to achieve the same behaviour with a smarter UI decision?

Thanks.

Answer 1

If it is a requirement that the user must be able to clear the data for each cell in a column, then this practice works just fine. Some suggestions:

• Can you possibly only show the clear button upon hover? Whether this be when the row is hovered over and the corresponding clear button appears, or the cell is hovered over etc.
• Can you change the icon? A simple "X" (cross) button with a simple explanatory tooltip will work well - the current icon is a little misleading as it appears to be a backspace icon, suggesting that by clicking the button individual characters will be deleted. However, if your plan is to have the button clear the entire cell, the icon is misleading and quite distracting.

Overall, I don't see any problem with your current ideas apart from the fact that the icon will look distracting if repeated down the entire column, so have a look into only showing it on hover or similar. Many UI examples only show clear entry buttons upon hover or when the textbox (in this case, cell) is selected.

Hope I helped.

Answer 2

Just a thought... Another possibility would be to mark the text on click so a user can either delete or overwrite it more easily. Doesn't add visual fuzz but also depends heavily on how this features is really used.