The Reset button hurts users in three ways:
The extra choice requires extra thinking, and the time saved by using an optimal interaction technique is often smaller than the time wasted on having to think instead of just moving ahead with a single interaction technique that is always used. It takes at least one second and often two seconds to decide between two possible interaction techniques which is why it is usually better not to offer users a choice.
- The worst problem about Reset is that users click the button by mistake when they wanted to click Submit. Bang - all your work is gone!
- Having two buttons at the bottom of a form clutters up the interface and makes it harder for users to clearly see their next step. Some small amount of wasted time is spent scanning the useless button and deciding which of the two buttons is the correct one.
- Even when users do want to eliminate some of the data they have entered into a form, it may slow them down to have a dedicated button for doing so, since the extra button means that users have a choice:
- edit the erroneous fields and replace the old text with the new text
- click Reset and type the new text into nice clean fields
Reset and Cancel Buttons — Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox, April 16, 2000
Source: useit.com
