rhomexblak
You submit a form. An error flashes: “Invalid.” That’s it. Invalid what? Invalid how? Invalid because you used the wrong format, or invalid because the email is already taken, or invalid because the server had a seizure and forgot what an email even is? For all the user knows, the…
rhomexblak
Before I Can Fill It, I Need to Know What You’re Asking There’s a form I encountered recently that had twelve fields. No labels. Just placeholder text inside each input that disappeared the moment you started typing. If you forgot what a field was asking for, you had to delete…
rhomexblak
We’ve all been there. You fill out a form. You hit submit. Nothing happens. Maybe the border turns red. Maybe a little icon winks at you. Maybe your computer hums aggressively. But nobody tells you what went wrong. You stare at the screen. “Did it fail? Did it work? Am I…
rhomexblak
Why Labels Need to Match Across Pages You’re at a party. Someone introduces themselves as “Michael.” You shake his hand, have a nice conversation, move on. Later that evening, you see him again across the room. You walk over and say, “Hey, Michael!” He looks at you blankly. “It’s...
rhomexblak
Imagine walking into your favorite library. You know exactly where the fiction section is. It’s always on the second floor, to the left of the stairs. The librarian knows where you go. Your feet know the way. It’s muscle memory. It is a week later when you walk in, and…
rhomexblak
You’re filling out your taxes. Your cursor lands in the first field. You start typing. And halfway through entering your email address—whoosh!—the form submits automatically. Now you’re looking at an error page because you didn’t finish. Or worse, you submitted incomplete data and lost what you...
rhomexblak
If I had a podcast, I would tell you to close your eyes and imagine the following. But this is a blog post… You’re walking down a hallway, hand out, ready to turn a doorknob. Your hand lands on the knob… and suddenly the door slides open before you touch it. Or…