"check" the box (was RE: "Click on" or "click")

["Drew Adams" <drew -at- synplicity -dot- com>]

What about use of the verb "check" for placing a check in a check box? A
number of you have mentioned it, but I think it can be confusing, given the
other sense of "check", as in "check the box, to see if...".

This may sound silly, but I can imagine some users (especially those for
whom English isn't the first language) interpreting "check the Foobar box
before you..." as advice to verify its current state.

If you agree that "check" is not the best choice here, what alternatives do
you prefer?  "fill"?  "activate"?

I've used "turn on" or "enable" (and "turn off" or "disable"). Here are some
reasons I prefer these slightly more abstract terms:

1. They offer a certain degree of platform independence, and possibly easier
doc maintenance.

2. The more abstract terms speak directly to the purpose of the action
(enabling/disabling), or the meaning of the desired state (on/off). (Cf.
drawback #2, below.)

3. The same "enable"/"turn on" term also applies to related GUI elements,
such as radio buttons. (The complementary terms aren't used, however: you
don't tell someone to turn off a radio button.)

4. The abstract terms have complements that are also common terms. "Uncheck"
is OK, I suppose, but it's not everyday terminology. If an alternative such
as "empty" is used, then some symmetry is lost (which can reduce reading
comprehension).

5. Using terms such as "check" and "empty" that serve as both verbs and
other parts of speech (noun, adjective) can make reading simple sentences
more difficult - again, especially for ESLers.

Possible drawbacks to using the more abstract terms ("enable"/"turn on"):

1. Someone may not guess correctly which state (checked or
unchecked)represents "the option is enabled". Trial and error will generally
clear this up.

2. There is a potential confusion of levels (syntax/semantics, mention/use):
It is really the state, option or action the box represents that is enabled,
not the box itself; the box is only checked (ouch!).

But this might in fact be considered desirable (most of the time): the focus
in on the effect, not on the appearance of the effector/affordance. In
contexts where it is clear how to enable a given option (place a check in
its box) it will be enough to say "enable Foobar" or "enable the Foobar
option". In other contexts (such as when there are alternative ways to
enable an option) we might need to say "enable the Foobar check box" or
"enable the Foobar option by turning on the Foobar check box" (whew!).

Opinions?  A pit worth nicking, or not?

The check is in the mail,

  Drew


> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-techwr-l-88891 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
> [mailto:bounce-techwr-l-88891 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of Ellen
> Lidington
> Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 8:21 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: RE: "Click on" or "click"
>
> ... I normally "check" options that are checkboxes...



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