How Much Do You Judge By The 88X31 Button?

I have to be honest. I'm more likely to click on a button that looks like the person who created it had some kind of designing talent. So I'm more likely to click the buttons that make me think I'm going to see an attractive board once it loads.

Now granted, when I'm clicking buttons, it's to find active boards to advertise on but I like to window shop too just to look at pretty things.

So what about you?

I... never click buttons. I have like a mental block against them. A site could have a thousand of them and I'd still be like, 'oh you have affiliates?'

But when I do notice them, I definitely judge. If it looks like it's made in MS paint, then I immediately judge.

I'm the same way! There has never been anything about a button that has ever convinced me to click on it unless it was a quick link to a site I already knew and wanted to go to...like the RPG D button on my site's index when I'm too lazy to bring up the bookmark.

But I do HATE the animated ones. They're mostly obnoxious and too distracting for something so small and I can't help it...they remind of old geocities sites for some reason. *shudders*

Admittedly, a pretty or intriguing button can help at least get me to click on a site once. Whether or not the site lives up to the expectations of the button... well, that's another matter entirely. Still, I am more likely to click on a pretty button than an ugly one.

That said, I'm not really all that likely to click on a button, period, unless I'm already shopping around for sites.

I don't judge at all, I usually just click them all and wait for whatever the future (well, the next five seconds) enfolds, I mean in terms of how the site looks and tickles my fancy. But the more prettier it is, I suppose just like flowers, the more likely I'm going to click it randomly on a whim.

Ugh, I hate the animated ones, too. I don't expect much from an aff button, though. They're too small for some people (myself) to do anything neat with them, so I just slap the board name somewhere on it and hope it's not too disgusting. Since I have trouble with small images, I assume other people do, so nah. That's one thing I'm not all judgmental about.

Honestly buttons don't make me think much of a site unless they're really spectacularly bad. Otherwise I don't really care. If I'm looking for a new site I'll click pretty much every button unless it's terrible looking.

I click buttons all the time. Sometimes I click all the buttons at once just to look.

I don't like obnoxiously animated buttons, the kind that really snatch your attention away, especially epileptic buttons.
I don't like it when the button isn't related to the site, for example, a picture of Elmo for a vampire board.
Even if I'm not looking for a board, I'll still browse it, and there's always the possibility that I come back and join it later.

I don't really judge a game based on its buttons, but I can say this: If a button is very pretty, I'll probably click it. I expect to see an equally pretty board, and I like to look at pretty. Now, it's highly unlikely that my investigating the pretty will result in my joining a game, but I'll look. Attracting players to at least look is kind of an important part of advertising, but it won't get anyone very far with me if I'm not looking to join a game and my primary concerns have little to do with 'pretty'.

With that said, a terribly ugly button often corresponds with a terribly ugly game, and as much as I like to focus on more important annoyances, I won't commit to participating in a game that I have difficulty looking at (particularly if the board's skin isn't exactly functional). However, even in that case, I'm not concerned about the button itself. I'm concerned about the look of the actual board. Unfortunately, I might miss a lovely game with a hideous button because of the common correlation between ugly buttons and ugly boards. That ugly game will be more likely to attract me with an enticing advertisement, but I'm still not likely to join without personal recommendations.

I am totally pro-button! I click them and I like them and definitely think they serve a great purpose of advertising your game while not being overly intrusive. I much rather have buttons than huge banners. And yes, some buttons do seem like they are made in MS Paint and they possibly are but that doesn't bother me - if they have a button that means they have indeed put what skill they have into creating this. Perhaps they are like me who I can't do a useful thing with Photoshop?

Rock on button-people!

I do the same with attractive adverts, too. If they're pretty, I'm apt to lurk on the board and gawk a bit if it, too, is exceptionally beautiful. Also, I enjoy making buttons and stuff.

Yeah, Patrick has a soft spot for pretty things. What about it?!
heh

Its rare, but, it needs to catch my eye. Simplicity but awesome is best. I think my favorites are these:



If your affiliate icon is different than the standard, like too long, too tall, or broken link, I don't even bother.

I usually don't click on affiliate buttons unless I'm desperately looking for a certain type of site or for some reason it attracts. But for the most part, I do not look at affiliates (or advertisements for that matter unless again I am desperately searching or it attracts me). If I do look at affiliates, I like it that they're simple, easy to read, and have minimum animation. But I usually won't judge an affiliate because while an affiliate might be really bad, the site might be absolutely amazing (I'm not usually easily swayed by graphics).

Oh my gosh that clockwork one moves and I love it. I would do (some, but probably not many) things to learn how to do that well.

Honestly, as with everything, for me it's about readability. Which is dumb for a tiny icon, but if I can't read the name I just go NOPE. MY SPECIAL EYES CANNOT TOLERATE THIS NONSENSE and I call it quits.

I admit I click on pretty buttons more than not-pretty buttons. I also like simplicity.

All of this makes me bitter and sad since I suck hardcore at making tiny buttons. |:

If the name isn't easily readable, or the image isn't aesthetically pleasing enough, I usually ignore it. I also don't regularly click links of any variety that don't tickle my fancy (regarding the site's genre/type), but that's just me.

If it's pretty looking, I'll click on it. If it's an obscure fandom and the graphic quality is only average or even medicore, I'd still click on it because it'll only cost me seconds to look at the site, and the good old RP quality > graphic quality.

I can't think of anything besides annoying animation, that would legitimately make me avoid clicking on that button. Standard or even better, great design skill is all I'd be looking for.

I only judge one thing, and one thing only. And that goes for avatars/sigs as well... DOES IT HAVE A (visible) BORDER?
Only ones exempt from this do or die rule are the stylized ones with a lot of transparant pixels, that obviously can do with out a border, but if you have an 88x31 block of coloured pixels, it needs a visible border.

Beyond that I couldn't care less and I get no information from the button at all.