I like big buttons and I can not lie
Big buttons seem to be popular in the Web 2.0 aesthetic. From my experience, users love big buttons and designers hate them. Why? I’ll postulate on both.
My guess is that users like big buttons because it provides an illusion of simplicity. Part of this has to do with Fitt’s Law since it requires less precision to hit a large target, and the other part has to do with that fact that with bigger buttons you physically can’t place as many of them. It’s probably also the case that psychologically, the bigger the button, the greater the user’s sense of accomplishment upon clicking it. Hmmm. This button is large. It must be powerful and do a lot of work.
Why do designers dislike big buttons? Designers are control freaks that tend to prefer tight layouts that are perfect for a context. (That’s why so many of their heads explode when dealing with digital stuff where the context can shift quickly.) It’s similar to the reason they like small text when users prefer nice large text. The big buttons are harder to fit nicely into a tight looking layout because they stick out like a sore thumb. Plus, they take up more room than is necessary for those efficiency-minded Modernist types. My other theory is that since designers have heightened visual awareness, they notice details even when they are small, and thus big buttons are the equivalent of a screaming baby. Whereas the average user usually isn’t paying particular attention to every visual element (they’re doing whatever they came to a site to do) and wants the screaming element to direct them along.
The following is the deeply insightful IM conversation I had with another designer over the matter:
Dan: what do you think of big buttons?
Ryan: dont really like em
Dan: why? Same reason you like tiny text? (leading question)
Ryan: most of the time they seem too big, not needed. it reminds me of staples commercials. the easy button
Dan: people loved that
Ryan: big huge button
Dan: it was successful as an ad campaign
Ryan: people just want a btn to press and not have to do anything themselves and the bigger that button, the better
Dan: my theory is the satisfaction of pressing a big button for the power plus it also creates an illusion of simplicity
Ryan: what could be more simple than pressing a big button?
Dan: and IT IS easier to press a big target, you don’t have to be as precise
Ryan: yup cant miss it, 90 yr old half blind ppl could do it
Dan: i’m going to post this conversation on the blog
Ryan: don’t you wish there was big giant button that said click here to post this conversation to my blog?
Dan: yea, it would make my life easier
Dan: I wonder how well this sells
Ryan: thats pretty dorky
Dan: i want one
Ryan: it would be cool if it did something
Dan: like launching an app? the doomsday app?
Ryan: anything
Ryan: something
Dan: launches minesweeper
Dan: causes a BSOD
Ryan: at least ejects the usbs