Obscure UI Buttons

Comments critique user interfaces where buttons are hard to notice due to low contrast, lack of affordance, or poor placement, advocating for more obvious, standard button designs to improve UX.

📉 Falling 0.4x Web Development
4,420
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#1090
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
13
2008
41
2009
98
2010
188
2011
258
2012
363
2013
326
2014
176
2015
136
2016
176
2017
136
2018
229
2019
194
2020
281
2021
361
2022
355
2023
386
2024
393
2025
289
2026
21

Keywords

UX IMO OK buttoncheatsheet.com xyz.jpg UI medium.com button buttons ui cancel user pressing ux text users submit

Sample Comments

GoToRO Jan 16, 2025 View on HN

there's another one, users still prefer buttons...

hnick Jul 2, 2019 View on HN

The Why rather than the What. Maybe they don't even need a button.

lemiffe Apr 11, 2017 View on HN

It's bad UX though; the button could have been at the top.

cr3ative Oct 7, 2014 View on HN

It's okay, just label your UI so users don't have to guess what a button might do and most people will be fine

worldsayshi Oct 12, 2017 View on HN

Perhaps you didn't know how the button was supposed to look like? Seems like it's better to get false positives than to miss it.

richev Jul 4, 2016 View on HN

It's not a button, it's a link in a low-contrast colour. Designed not to be easily noticed by the casual user.

timmclean Nov 26, 2012 View on HN

I agree. I find that the buttons don't "afford" clicking at all.

howlgarnish Jan 1, 2021 View on HN

Why do you have button X if you're not supposed to tap it? Will all your users read, understand and follow your instructions?

meatsock Mar 16, 2012 View on HN

i'd prefer them to spend the time making sure the button works correctly. why is the UI so odious?

m_mueller Aug 22, 2016 View on HN

Can't they just make it such that there's still buttons inside, maybe given lower priority and some help text explaining that it's best to choose outside?