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I'm trying to come up with a way to ensure the user expects a modal to open when clicking a button in my interface. This modal has options from which the user changes the content inside the same page (not exactly filters or order).

Is there a pattern for it?

JotaRMonteiro
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  • Why? What action would a user take if he knew he was opening a modal instead of a new screen? How would this information help the user? – Mayo Sep 16 '15 at 19:28
  • you should probably reword the question so you're not specifically asking for the best icon. – Dave Haigh Sep 16 '15 at 19:33
  • @Mayo In this specific scenario, expecting the button to navigate away from that page might stop users from using it. But overall, the purpose of this question is to find a solution that avoids frustration caused by broken expectation. – JotaRMonteiro Sep 16 '15 at 19:37
  • @Dave, I'm looking for icons most aptly used, isn't it a case where "best" is right? – JotaRMonteiro Sep 16 '15 at 19:37
  • I mean according to the help section. asking for advice on what icon to use for a feature isn't allowed. – Dave Haigh Sep 16 '15 at 19:44
  • But the main body of your question seems reasonable so if I were you id reword your question to reflect that. – Dave Haigh Sep 16 '15 at 19:45
  • @Dave, changed it to something more appropriate, thank you for the heads up. – JotaRMonteiro Sep 16 '15 at 19:47
  • Why would a user assume a click on a button would navigate away? Most of this stuff is completely contextual, but you haven't provided any context - so I doubt you'll get a good answer. It would help if you post a screenshot of your interface. – Izhaki Sep 16 '15 at 22:47
  • @Izhaki That's because my example is merely illustrative. I'm searching for a general pattern, iconography, copy, etc for what users perceive as triggers for modals. If I post an image, the discussion will likely stray from that to the specific case, and this will provide no help to either me or anyone else in the future. – JotaRMonteiro Sep 17 '15 at 13:55
  • @JotaRMonteiro, well... much of UX design is about context - there are hardly magic solutions - it all depends! – Izhaki Sep 17 '15 at 14:38

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The use of the ellipses (...) on a button is fairly well used to denote that the function requires more user input.

From the Microsoft User Experience Guidelines:

Using ellipses While menu commands are used for immediate actions, more information might be needed to perform the action. Indicate a command that needs additional information (including a confirmation) by adding an ellipsis at the end of the label.

Proper use of ellipses is important to indicate that users can make further choices before performing the action, or even cancel the action entirely. The visual cue offered by an ellipsis allows users to explore your software without fear.

This doesn't mean you should use an ellipsis whenever an action displays another window—only when additional information is required to perform the action.

In case of ambiguity (for example, the command label lacks a verb), decide based on the most likely user action. If simply viewing the window is a common action, don't use an ellipsis.

Also Apple:

Use an ellipsis in the name of a menu item or button that produces a dialog. The ellipsis (…) indicates that the user must take further action to complete the task. The dialog title should be the same as the menu command or button label (except for the ellipsis) used to invoke it. To learn more about using an ellipsis, see Using the Ellipsis

kerr
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