"Download to CSV"- User Friendly Terminology, or not?
23 Nov 2011 - 4:59pm
5 replies
378 reads
llingelbach
2011
Hello all,
I am wanting to create a link for users to download a CSV file. I'm not sure if the link should be titled "Download to CSV" or not, seeing as that might be confusing to users. Being new to the UX world myself, I wasn't sure what a CSV file is, so I can only imagine how other users feel.
Let me know if there are any "best practices" or new research on this topic!
Your input is greatly appreciated!
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We did a small amount of user research on this for our application. Most of our users are familiar with Excel, which uses the phrase "Save as CSV" so we chose to use that ourselves.
For your application I would try to find out which users/use cases are relevant to this function and see what language best suits them.
((CSV = Comma-Separated Values, a way of writing data so that it can be more easily read by an automatic parser. All spreadsheet-type applications I know of support reading and writing CSV files and so do a lot of analytics and business intelligence-type apps.))
On Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 3:25 AM, llingelbach wrote: > Hello all, > > I am wanting to create a link for users to download a CSV file. I'm not sure > if the link should be titled "Download to CSV" or not, seeing as that might > be confusing to users. Being new to the UX world myself, I wasn't sure what > a CSV file is, so I can only imagine how other users feel. > > Let me know if there are any "best practices" or new research on this topic! > > Your input is greatly appreciated! > > > > > >
I've used "export to Excel (CSV)" with some success in the past. It tells people who don't know what it is, what to do with the file.
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----- Reply message -----
From: "DrWex" <awexelblat@gmail.com>
To: <bjminihan@gmail.com>
Subject: [IxDA] "Download to CSV"- User Friendly Terminology, or not?
Date: Fri, Nov 25, 2011 9:52 am
We did a small amount of user research on this for our application.
Most of our users are familiar with Excel, which uses the phrase "Save
as CSV" so we chose to use that ourselves.
For your application I would try to find out which users/use cases are
relevant to this function and see what language best suits them.
((CSV = Comma-Separated Values, a way of writing data so that it can
be more easily read by an automatic parser. All spreadsheet-type
applications I know of support reading and writing CSV files and so do
a lot of analytics and business intelligence-type apps.))
On Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 3:25 AM, llingelbach wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I am wanting to create a link for users to download a CSV file. I'm not
sure
> if the link should be titled "Download to CSV" or not, seeing as that might
> be confusing to users. Being new to the UX world myself, I wasn't sure what
> a CSV file is, so I can only imagine how other users feel.
>
> Let me know if there are any "best practices" or new research on this
topic!
>
> Your input is greatly appreciated!
>
>
>
>
>
>
llingelbach,
"Export to CSV" is what is common. But, "Save as CSV" works if thats what is being done.
Do not think from your point of view. Speaking with your users, you will see that they probably use Excel and CSV a lot. And if in the financial sector Excel is probably open more of the time than the application itself.
On 25 November 2011 13:48, llingelbach <llingelbach@scottrade.com> wrote:
Could offer this: "export: (.csv) (.xls)" each of those being links. As we know, these are basically the same files but offering both formats will cover all audiences.
On Nov 25, 2011 12:22 PM, "abhijith.rao@gmail.com" <abhijith.rao@gmail.com> wrote:
Thank you all so much. Your input has been very helpful!