Cancel or Allow Overload

Justin Williams:

When we are overwhelmed or confused, we either leave the situation or just blindly access whatever it is. Do you ever read the end user license agreement for iTunes before you click the “Agree” button? Probably not, because it’s an overwhelming amount of tiny text. The same can be said for complex permissions and access dialogs. If you put too much in the face of the user, they will likely disregard it and say yes to get into the product itself.

Maybe the answer to the iOS address book situation is to require the user to grant explicit permission through a dialog box, but it’s not a slam-dunk decision. Every dialog box has a cost.

★ Monday, 13 February 2012