Why Your Form Buttons Should Never Say Submit
by anthony on 01/05/11 at 10:27 pm
When you see a Submit button on a form, what comes to your mind? One could easily reason that clicking the button submits the user’s information into the system for processing. A Submit button describes what the system does well, but it doesn’t describe what the user does at all.
When users fill out a form, they are engaging in a task. The action button should affirm what that task is, so that users know exactly what happens when they click that button. A button that describes the user’s task tells users that the form focuses on carrying out that specific task. The more focused your form is, the more likely you’ll get users to complete your form.
A form button that says Submit gives users the impression that the form isn’t focused on a specific task. It also gives off the impression that your website is not user-friendly because you’re speaking in a technical way that most users aren’t familiar with. If this is the impression your users get when they fill out your form, you can bet that you’re losing a few users in the process.
Your form button should describe exactly what the user is trying to do in their task. For example, if they are signing up for an account, a button that says Create Account tells users that clicking the action button creates an account. It’s clear and task specific. If the button had said Submit, users would likely question what happens when they click the form button. This creates a level of uncertainty for users that designers can easily avoid simply by using a button that describes the result of the user’s task.
Although Submit buttons aren’t as prevalent as they once were, they still exist on forms today. The good thing is that fixing them is simple. It requires nothing more than labeling your button with a task specific action. It might not seem like a huge difference at first, but when you find that more users are completing your forms, you’ll know that a clear and focused action button works best.
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Dominic
Sep 30th, 2011
It always comes down to A/B testing to see which button creatives works the best.
Abir
Oct 19th, 2011
Good thinking. Now let me check the multivariate tests results for this.
Aria Web Design Sullivan
Nov 14th, 2011
Thanks for posting. I think you raise a good point about the button saying exactly what will happen when you press it. I can’t tell you how many times poor web design has led to my purchasing something I had no real intent of purchasing, or posting a comment that I definitely did not want to post. At the same time, however, depending on what the button’s function is, most people can figure out what “Submit” is referring to in the context.
Science and math
Dec 4th, 2011
I really agree with you dude! status=currently changing(^_^)
Towfiq I.
Jan 17th, 2012
Interesting post. This also make the form more humane.
Matt
Feb 13th, 2012
Hi there,
This is not something I’d really considered much before; something I made a passive effort to do – after reading this I think I will be making much more effort to ensure all of my buttons are appropriately labelled (or valued in HTML terms hehe)
Matt
Sean
Feb 26th, 2012
Interestingly, many designers know about it, but not all of them remember it when it comes to design a new website
Xavier
Feb 27th, 2012
Hi,
Interesting post but I dont agree with everything in it. I think your point about having an explicit button labels describing tasks is only valide for 1 page long forms or to facilitate the uptake of a process at the start (e.g. a “Register now” button on a page that then leads to an application forn).
When it comes to application processes containing multiple steps for example, the use of a submit button at the end is perfectly valid. Even if I agree that the term is system-centric, users recognise the button as being the last click before completion of the process. In other words, “submit” is for many part of the form jargon and users expect to see “next” and “submit” buttons. Equally in those situations, i dont think the final action needs to be explicitly labeled on the button. Using another label may even confuse users who would expect a “submit” button.
Swapnil
Mar 12th, 2012
true those button turn me off too
Lit d appoint
Apr 4th, 2012
Hi there,
This is not something I’d really considered much before; something I made a passive effort to do – after reading this I think I will be making much more effort to ensure all of my buttons are appropriately labelled (or valued in HTML terms hehe)
Matt
Karol
Apr 7th, 2012
This website is a great repository of web UX rules. I am glad I found you on the web!
peter
Apr 18th, 2012
Hello
and what is with buttons in a wizard?
should they call “next” or is a other term better?
Mark
May 3rd, 2012
If it’s in a wizard, give the user a clue to what comes next. This is especially important so the user knows if they are going to another input screen, or if they are finalizing/submitting the full form.