[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #16727: Add New User: Usability Vagueness and Confusion

[WordPress Trac]

#16727: Add New User: Usability Vagueness and Confusion
-------------------------+-----------------------------
 Reporter:  sterlo       |      Owner:
     Type:  enhancement  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal       |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General      |    Version:
 Severity:  normal       |   Keywords:
-------------------------+-----------------------------
 Currently if you access /wp-admin/user-new.php and try to add a new user
 that doesn't already exist, if you try something like 'firstname.lastname'
 it will throw an error saying:

   "Only lowercase letters (a-z) and numbers are allowed."

 What's confusing to some users (I had to help a few out today), is that
 this error shows up at the '''top of the screen''' and makes no mention of
 what field or form it is talking about.

 Users (who know very little about the web) thing that the e-mail is wrong
 because no field name is mentioned in the error. Or that they tried to use
 the top form and not the bottom because the error is above the one form
 and not the one they thought they were using (these are actual confusions
 that I see people having).

 One solution could be to make it one form instead of two...if the username
 and e-mail already exist, it will just add them to the site and not create
 a new user.

 Another solution (or part of the solution) would be to change the error to
 say something like:

   "Add New User: The Username may only lowercase letters (a-z) and numbers
 are allowed."

 '''TL;DR''': We need to come up with an adjustment for this page so that
 users aren't confused by errors that make no mention of what fields are at
 fault OR what form the error is relevant to.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/16727>
WordPress Trac <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress blogging software