Yes, that's a good point. One could add a third option ( O Yes    O 
No   (o) Neither ). I do like having drop down lists with an extra 
item labeled something like, "[choose credit card]".

                                         -- hs

At 12:27 PM 6/2/2007, William Hudson wrote:

>The thing that has concerned me most in the past with radio buttons that
>have no default is that it is not possible for users to return them to
>their original state without forcing a page reload. If the 'not
>selected' state really is significant ('not applicable' for example)
>then there ought to be an item with that choice. If a default really is
>'dangerous' then make it 'None' (for currency) or 'Don't know' for
>yes/no and similar.
>
>FWIW we had been developing graphical user interfaces for Windows and
>the Mac (and others) for around 10 years before the web became a serious
>issue. Radio button groups *always* had a default in that period. In
>fact, if you look at desktop applications on most platforms you will be
>hard pressed to find an exception. Let's not give users new twists to
>puzzle over.
>
>Regards,
>
>William Hudson
>Syntagm Ltd
>User-Centred Design Consultancy and Training
>US Toll Free 1-866-SYNTAGM
>UK 01235-522859
>World +44-1235-522859
>mailto:[log in to unmask]
>http://www.syntagm.co.uk
>http://www.designforusability.com
>
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