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The question I have is about the general functionality of the back button in wizards. I was thinking about the possible behaviors of this button and I couldn't find any clue which one is the right choice between these two options.

1- It should show the previous page and the changes made in the current form shouldn't be saved.

2- It should show the previous page and the changes made in the current form should be saved.

I would like to know which option you think is the correct behavior for the back button and why.

Saffar
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1 Answers1

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The pretty sensible Windows guideline from Microsoft is;

Preserve user selections through navigation.

For example, if the user makes changes, clicks Back and then Next, those changes should be preserved. Users don't expect to have to re-enter changes unless they explicitly chose to clear them.

See UX Wizards guide.

Alex K.
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  • Thanks for the very informative response. After reading the link I came across another hint that says. `don't confuse navigational buttons (Next and Back) with commit buttons. Next means to progress in the wizard without commitment; Back should always be available on the next page, and clicking Back should undo the effect of the last Next button` So does this imply that committing changes are different from preserving them? – Saffar Sep 14 '11 at 16:13
  • Yea, if a page causes X to happen (committing - say creating a registry entry) based on a value in a textbox then going forward then back again should undo X but keep the value in the textbox the same – Alex K. Sep 14 '11 at 16:22