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CMSgov
Request for documentation for a pattern and guidance for links/buttons that are document downloads, i.e. PDF
Description Currently there isn't clear guidance around how to let a user know that they are about to download a PDF and if that may be a large download. I asked around the teams and this is being handled in various ways — different text, some use an icon and some not, etc.
This could benefit users with slower internet connections, older devices, etc.
This pattern guidance could look like:
- Download your file, PDF {icon}
- Download your file (PDF), 10MB
Note, from USWDS guidance:
Show file type and size for links to non-HTML content. When possible, create HTML pages instead of linking to files like PDFs. If you do link to a file, tell users ahead of time if the link may trigger a file download, and show the size and format of that file.
We recommend including this information at the end of the link, in the format [FILE_TYPE, SIZE]. We recommend using the file type rather than a product name. Use uppercase for the file type and a comma for the separator. For file size, use the number of pages in the document or the size in MB or KB if the document is not paginated.
Example 1:
GSA published a report, Transforming the American Digital Experience [PDF, 18 pages]
Example 2:
Download the Revised 508 Standards Applicability Checklist [DOCX, 2 pages]
Example 3:
Download the USWDS 2.11.2 Design Kit for Sketch [ZIP, 13.3 MB]
I'm unable to find where this ticket was created in Jira.
I am seeing this was partially covered by a recent change in #3156. Not seeing anything in our backlog regarding warning users of file size of PDF. Will raise with the team.
