Light switches are just as confusing initially- why is up on and down off? Once ... | Hacker News

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		brianpan on May 10, 2011 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: Realism in UI Design Light switches are just as confusing initially- why is up on and down off? Once the convention is established, it becomes more natural. Plus, since the action is a toggle, it matters less which is which. For the most part I don't care if it's left or right, I just want to toggle it. Of course radio buttons are explicit, but real estate is also at a premium on an iPhone.

fanf2 on May 12, 2011 [–]

The conventional orientation for light switches is opposite in the US and the UK. But it's not a very strong convention because it doesn't apply to multi-switch arrangements as on staircases.

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