Are you using “reset” buttons on your forms?

Does your website contain forms that include an HTML reset button?

If you’re using this godforsaken tag, I think you’re making a big mistake. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve observed users accidentally clicking the reset button and leu of submitting the form. The two are obviously not interchangeable and I feel the reset button does more harm than good. Quite honestly, I’ve never been through scenario where the user actually had a need to click on the reset button.

Here is an example of what I mean. There are so many problems with the way these buttons look. For one, two buttons that perform completely different actions look exactly the  same. Some users, who may be accustomed to traditional button behavior, like the like you would experience in Windows or Mac OS for example, make a inclination that all progressive buttons appear to the right—like you would experience in a wizard. I’m not getting into an argument about button placement,  but I can at least recommend deemphasizing the reset button or eliminating it altogether.

Here is an example I recommend: As you can see in the figure below the submit button—the button you want them to click on—is clearly highlighted and recognizable, while the reset button looks much less important. I learned this approach from a colleague a few years ago (@cindyblue, follow her, she’s awesome):  there is a button you want them to click on and then there are the other options.  Always put emphasis on the actions you want the user to take, and deemphasize the actions the users are less likely to take.

Here is one important thing you should always remember: any time you are performing an action that is not recoverable, like resetting a form, deleting a file, or performing a cancel operation, you need to prompt the user first that their changes will be lost if they continue with the operation.

Have you ever accidentally hit the “reset”  button by mistake?