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Q&A mice don't tap and tablet-users don't click: what word can I use for all audiences instead?

I'm so glad you asked this question because, as a staunch desktop user, reading "tap" in a how-to guide irritates me no end. (No, the entire world is not doing everything on mobile now!) On the oth...

posted 4y ago by xtal‭

Answer
#1: Initial revision by user avatar xtal‭ · 2020-05-22T12:49:25Z (over 4 years ago)
I'm so glad you asked this question because, as a staunch desktop user, reading "tap" in a how-to guide irritates me no end. (_No, the entire world is not doing everything on mobile now!_) On the other hand, I can see how mobile users might feel similarly about "click". Yes, terminology sometimes persists long past its origins, but I don't see proof yet that that will be - or needs to be - the ultimate fate of "click".

I favour the word **press**. I think it captures best the physicality of clicking/tapping actions that are relevant to almost any input device. "Press OK to continue" should be easily understood by everybody, and (to my ear at least) sounds about as natural as "click".

While I'd be OK with "select" for radio buttons or checkboxes, which are actually options being selected, I don't think it's suitable for buttons. Buttons are pressed (or pushed, which sounds less natural here). That's why decades' worth of GUI buttons have been animated to look like they sink into the screen when you click on them. The word "select" in computing contexts also carries connotations of selecting text, which is an action that leaves your selection visible after you make it. To me, "selecting" something on a form implies making a visible change to the form, but not necessarily triggering an action.