Dropdown>Go

Back in the day* using a web dropdown list consisted of making a selection from the dropdown then clicking ‘Go’ or ‘Search’ or ‘OK’ or whatever button was next to the field. Or on really slick sites, you could make your choice and hit enter*.

Then things began to get really smart*. All that was needed was a choice from the dropdown and hey presto, the choice was made and the results were on their way. It took me ages to get out of the habit of clicking ‘Go’ or ‘Search’ or ‘OK’, if it was even there (and if so why) or looking for it.

I know this is web behaviour* but it’s what I’ve come to expect and now, in the application we’ve built at work, I make my choice from the dropdown and sit and wait for something to happen.

It’s a Windows app. Grrrrr. Now I’ll probably go back to looking everywhere for the ‘Go’ or ‘Search’ or ‘OK’ buttons on websites! I’m so presumptuous.

*(BTW: these are my user-based observations. The dev path may well be completely different.)