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Check boxes don't imply immediate effects. They require 'saving' to take effect. Like when you're filling out a form, the checkbox doesn't do anything until the
by superhuzza 7y ago
Check boxes don't imply immediate effects. They require 'saving' to take effect. Like when you're filling out a form, the checkbox doesn't do anything until the form is 'interpreted' by a human.
Switches(toggles) on the other hand, imply immediate effects. Like a light switch, we expect the change to occur immediately.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/toggle-switch-guidelines/ https://www.nngroup.com/articles/toggle-switch-guidelines/
- saagarjha 7y agoI have never heard of or expected this from my "binary choice components". To my knowledge, switches are used on iOS, while checkboxes are a macOS thing (though they just added support for iOS-style switches, but with a very specific purpose).
- pvg 7y agoI have never heard of or expected this from my "binary choice components". It's fairly standard in 'traditional' desktop UI where actions are supposed to be initiated by regular buttons and things like radio buttons and checkboxes are for setting the options of the action. "Radio buttons never initiate an action" says the classic MacOS HIG, for instance.
- saagarjha 7y agoRight, but on macOS, checkboxes often apply immediately. Just look through System Preferences, which largely doesn't even have a "save" action: checkboxes have take effect instantaneously. (So do many radio buttons…)
- pvg 7y agoYep, that's why I said 'traditional', this has drifted a fair bit because there's a benefit to providing immediate feedback, especially if the action is some visual and reversible change like turning on dark mode. Windows ribbons are also full of such radio buttons and checkboxes.
- Koshkin 7y agoI.e., “right, but [wrong].”
- abledon 7y agothank you for clearing up the difference. Switches were always ambiguous to me in a settings page... I'm like.. so... is it saved?