As a product owner designing your web app, you will need to decide from time to time whether to use a ‘Save’ or ‘Submit’ button. At Rackless, we have some rules we follow for deciding when to use the ‘Save’ or ‘Submit’ button.
To keep things simple, I generally follow the rule below:
I’ve read once ‘Submit saves and exits the form; Save submits and stays on the form.’ That is a good rule I tend to live by when it comes to the ‘Save’ vs ‘Submit’ button debate.
Micky Thompson, CEO, Rackless, Inc.
However, I have other guidelines I follow when it comes to using the ‘Save’ button vs ‘Submit’. Below is when I use the ‘Save’ button.
I use the ‘Save’ button when my app’s user is ‘saving’ values to the system that will be immediately displayed to them for review. I almost always use the ‘Save’ button if the user will have the ability to edit the values immediately upon saving them.
Micky Thompson, CEO, Rackless, Inc.
A good use case for the ‘Save’ button based on the definition above is when a user is creating their profile. For example, we assume a user will have the ability to edit their name, email address, and phone number after saving them to your system. In this case, always use the ‘Save’ button when dealing with data that the user will be able to see and edit immediately.
But what about the ‘Submit’ button? When should it ever be used? I have a simple rule for that, also.
Use the ‘Submit’ button when the values the user enters will not be editable in the future or will not be immediately displayed upon submission.
Micky Thompson, CEO, Rackless, Inc.
A good use case for the ‘Submit’ button would be allowing a user to send a message using the contact form. It’s more than reasonable for that user to expect they will not be able to edit the message once it has been submitted to the ethos.
If you want to learn our rule for on whether the ‘Cancel’ button should go before or after the ‘Save’ or ‘Submit’ button, click here. We hope you found these rules helpful as you work to build your next website/mobile app. Here’s to your future web submissions or savings whatever the case may be!
