Etheryte 6 months ago

I couldn't even begin to count how many bug reports I've seen over the years that start with "when I accidentally double-click foo, bar happens". It might not be an intentional usage pattern, sure, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen a lot.

  • kevinsync 6 months ago

    Yeah, I have no data beyond anecdotal to back this up, but I witness A LOT of people double-clicking everything, regardless of what it is. I assume it's because they only got so far in "computer" as to learn "click + drag to move, double-click to open a program or file". Link on a web page? I want to open that!

uhoh-itsmaciek 6 months ago

Google Drive uses it as an interaction pattern. I find that baffling, but while uncommon, it's not totally absent. And as others have pointed out, many users carry over their expectation of having to double-click from desktop interfaces.

doublerabbit 6 months ago

> double clicking is extremely uncommon on the web so that would be a big red flag.

You've never had a slow internet connection have you? I've seen double clicking from all users in the office. Comes from frustration.

How many times have you tried to open an application; for it not open? So you click the icon again only for two windows to split open?

Young, old, even techs. It's not as uncommon as you think.

  • psygn89 6 months ago

    I've had a few worn mouses register double clicks upon a single click. It happens inhumanly fast and users won't realize it until using an app that reacts to double clicks.

  • portaouflop 6 months ago

    I’ve even triple or quadruple clicked sometimes with disastrous results

recursive 6 months ago

I double click to select text all the time. Get your flags ready.

  • bangaladore 6 months ago

    I'd laugh if an effective way to present this is:

    CAPTCHA:

    Please copy `qwertyuiopasdfhkl`

    Into here `<textbox>`

    Edit: Quick (ai mockup) concept... https://imgur.com/mc0IdEA Obviously it would be most effective with a longer string though.

giantrobot 6 months ago

Double clicking on the web is extremely common with older less technically adept users. This same cohort is also the most susceptible to scams.

  • bangaladore 6 months ago

    Another obvious case of double click is to select all text in a given area. This one is a bit more obscure though.

    Edit: Actually that's generally I guess triple click. Double to select a word.

  • waltwalther 6 months ago

    This. I have told my eighty-year-old parents this many times over the years, but it doesn't seem to stick.

    • Moru 6 months ago

      I see a lot of people doubleclicking on the web. Both young and old.

    • NotYourLawyer 6 months ago

      I’ve tried to explain it many times too, but I can’t really articulate a good, comprehensive rule for when to single and when to double click.

      • cobbal 6 months ago

        Another complicating factor that many less-tech-literate don't have a good internal model for is window focus. I've seen several people try and single-click on a not focused web button, only for nothing to happen. When they click again, the button is activated. They then learn to always double click that button.

        Having a mental model of "this button needs to be double clicked" gets them the result they want, even if that's not a very accurate reflection of the computer.

      • wat10000 6 months ago

        In theory: if you’re clicking on a UI element that has some notion of being selected, then a single-click selects it, and you need a double-click to take an action on it. If there’s no notion of selection, then a single click takes an action.

        In practice: adherence to this ranges from perfect to abysmal. And users who don’t understand the computer well may not know how to think about whether a given UI element is selectable or not.

      • Pxtl 6 months ago

        When you're on windows and not in the browser, you double-click to launch a file or program in the Explorer (which also is what runs the desktop). Single-click is select.

        So, the rule:

        List of files on your computer or desktop? Double-click. Otherwise? Don't.

kazinator 6 months ago

Web browsers and the applications on them have become extremely memory hungry. Memory management pauses are common and people click multiple times irately.