Itqualityassurance
No, they should not be hidden, and not only because of consistency, although that is important, but also because if you hide them, you will hide what system can do from user.
- Is it better to disable a button or hide it?
- Why you shouldn't use disabled buttons?
- Should you use disabled buttons?
- Should a disabled button be clickable?
Is it better to disable a button or hide it?
Buttons. Disable the control to indicate that the user needs to do something first to “unlock” the functionality that this button performs. Buttons should never be hidden, because there is an expectation of persistence for them.
Why you shouldn't use disabled buttons?
Bad accessibility
Sometimes disabled buttons are designed in a way that they cannot be read by a screen reader (buttons are not focusable, and hence users can't reach them with a keyboard). No need to explain that users with disabilities will face problems with such behavior.
Should you use disabled buttons?
While designing the UI, avoid using a disabled button as it becomes hard to find out why it is disabled and what should be done to make it enable. It is better to keep buttons enabled all the time and highlight the field if users don't provide the required information.
Should a disabled button be clickable?
A disabled button is unusable and un-clickable. The disabled attribute can be set to keep a user from clicking on the button until some other condition has been met (like selecting a checkbox, etc.).
