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The modal windows on our site have a Close button (X) in the upper right corner, and for years that's been the only way to close them. I just added the ability to close modals by pressing the Esc key. I want to let our longterm users (and our new users, too) know that this functionality is available. Is there a good / standard way to show that hint? Maybe as a title on the Close button? Are there any examples of where this is done well?

andi
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Try adding a tooltip, with info about the shortcut key, to the Close button (x).

Users will have to discover this -- but it's a one-time learn.

Michael Heraghty
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    I think I am going to give this a try. – andi Apr 20 '18 at 19:28
  • A tooltip is probably the most useless thing possible, you'd have to have the mouse above the button, just a short click away, why bother with the esc then. The esc key is useful mostly to keyboard and assistive technology users, who don't rely on a mouse, so it would have to be somehow displayed right away. – lucian Apr 17 '23 at 22:53
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I would add in the functionality and let users find it organically. You could add a tooltip, since it's a one-time learn, but unless you have many modals that a user has to navigate through on a regular basis, learning to close with esc instead of a click isn't a big win and almost results in a wash.

sleep_debt
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