I’ve heard this discussion somewhere else on the internet but I’m interested in what you guys think.
Do you think we have reached a point of the knowledge of users that we can do away with things like the search button. I have seen some designs where things like the search button don’t match the design or look very pretty and would be improved by getting rid of them. I know that this is the fault of the designer either not thinking or not caring enough to style it better, but how often is the button used compared to users just typing the search term and pressing enter key to submit it. Do you think we will ever get to the point where we don’t need things like this or do you feel we have a duty to always have these elements on the page. Also is there anything else that you find yourself having to put on your designs that you wish you don’t have to anymore.
My personal belief is that we have a duty to keep these elements on the page for the people that aren’t that knowledgeable about the different ways of getting around web pages, but if you really wanted to do without you should put some message telling people to press enter weather this be in the form of a tool tip, placeholder or a note on the page next to it.
I would like to point out this isn’t myself saying that I want to do this I’ve just seen this discussion elsewhere and was interested in what other people think.
