Clarify what 'Delete Notification' does in your inbox

[triadruid]

Title:
Clarify what 'Delete Notification' does in your inbox

Area:
inbox, usability

Summary:
The description for this button is dangerously ambiguous; I genuinely thought it was the 'delete all' button at first. It should be re-renamed to "Delete" or perhaps "Delete Selected".

Description:
The "Delete Notifications" button at the top of the Inbox appears to be functionally equivalent to the "Delete" button on LJ's Inbox. However the new title is ambiguous enough that I feel it can easily be mistaken for a "Delete ALL Notifications" button. I was filled with mild trepidation before clicking on it the other day, and my DW Inbox doesn't even have anything that important in it! As I hoped, it only deleted the selected items. It also occurred to me that it could be some sort of "Delete automated notifications but leave real messages from actual people" button, but that seemed even sillier.

I'm not real picky about what the new name is, but "Delete Selected" seems sufficiently clear. Others may have better ideas, if simply "Delete" isn't sufficiently clear.

Poll #2410 Clarify what 'Delete Notification' does in your inbox

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 37

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
17 (45.9%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
1 (2.7%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
11 (29.7%)

(I have no opinion)
6 (16.2%)

(Other: please comment)
2 (5.4%)

Comments

[denise]

"Delete Notifications" was already the result of a suggestion, so I'm hesitant to do anything else with it. We really can't just keep switching things back and forth and back and forth, after all...

[saekhwa]

I agree.

(I was about to ask about this anyway because it seemed the change to 'Delete Notifications' was recent, so thanks for the confirmation on that.)

[triadruid]

Aha, I'd wondered why it wasn't twigging me before...

[kyrielle]

And as I recall, it was because some people were concerned/confused that "Delete" would delete the original item rather than the notification about it. "Delete Selected" would have the same potential issue. "Delete Selected Notifications" is just too long/wordy, I think.

The gui makes it sort of (not completely) clear for sighted users - but maybe not for others - that the three buttons apply to things that are checked (by placing the buttons next to the checkbox). (On the other hand, the two floaty buttons that affect everything? Are frankly kind of unattractive, although not unclear.)

Maybe what's long-term needed is a redesign of the page/system for clarity, if one isn't always in the works, but it doesn't seem like a quick change of text can offer an easy solution.

[ciaan]

I do like the clarification that it is only to delete the notification/message from the inbox, not to delete the original comment that you have been notified of.

[archangelbeth]

As do I!

Maybe a link to a FAQ for that page would be a useful thing? "To delete a notification, click the tickybox next to the notification on your inbox page. You can click multiple tickyboxes and they will all be deleted when you click the 'delete notifications' button. To delete all notifications at once, click the 'delete all' button."

[triadruid]

I browsed through http://dw-suggestions.dreamwidth.org/tag/page:+inbox and http://dw-suggestions.dreamwidth.org/tag/site:+notifications and didn't see any previous suggestions, sorry.

[rydra_wong]

I had the same moment of trepidation.

[lanterne_rouee]

me, too, last time i deleted something from there.

makes sense that it was recently changed because i don't remember worrying about it or doubting exactly what it did before.

i'm in favor of changing it again or changing it back (can't remember what it said before though, tbh), as the case may be.

[jumpuphigh]

Same here. I looked at everything in my inbox before clicking it to make sure there wasn't anything that I would miss.

[noxie]

+1

[msilverstar]

I really hate the new wording, it always confuses me. "Delete selected" would be eversomuch better.

[charmian]

I agree. Since it deletes things that are not notifications (i.e. messages), that would be better.

[noxie]

+1

[syderia]

How about putting a message on top of the inbox, saying that the buttons delete what is in your inbox (the notification or message), but not but original post or comment. (Or something to that effect, but not as wordy)

In the same "text only solution" way, there might be room for a "(when checked) on the same line as "Delete Notification", but it would be very crowded and might not work with all people's view options.

[baskerville]

On first glance, I thought "delete notifications" was a button to delete the automatic news and site notifications (leaving just comment notifications). Now that would have been useful.

I have more issues with the inbox; I'm putting in a new suggestion for those.