Why “Cancel” should be a link, and not a button

Part 2: your feedback. About SPAs, hyperlinks, dark patterns, and accessibility.

My article (Should “cancel” be a button or a link?) stated that when users are presented with a “cancel” option, this should be a link, and not a button. It received feedback which I talk about in this follow-up.

Should “cancel” be a button or a link?

Why even discuss this subject?

Let’s be clear: most things in life aren’t black or white. I often tell teams when designing UI: "if no user is going to be super confused, then it’s probably just fine". And sure enough, having a button instead of a link where we believe a link improves your usability, will probably not leave your users at a complete loss to ruin their day.

However, by being consistent and predictable in your patterns, users will be empowered while interacting with your solution. This is a good thing as it adds to your user’s confidence as they traverse your solution.

Someone asked: “Why does this even matter?” Because it’s about usability!

Improve when we can!

It also doesn’t take away from the fact we should always strive to improve usability when we see an opportunity. At the very least, discuss it. Especially when we believe there is sound reasoning behind it. The discussion regarding buttons vs links is not about styling, it’s about usability; it’s about reinforcing patterns.

uxdworld:
Great user experience (UX) design allows users to understand it and interact with it instantly. It is designed in a way that users can predict their next interaction and its outcome or response.

ab11y:
Patterns enable people to learn, relate and engage as their comprehension is built upon all previous interactions with particular products or services.

Dr. Ralf Speth wrote:
If You Think Good Design is Expensive, You Should Look At The Cost of Bad Design

H Locke wrote:
Design patterns could change over time in terms of user familiarity rather than…