It is OK: Dialog boxes usability

Jakob Nielsen in his recent column on PC security writes:

...spyware and adware that install software on your computer without your informed consent (although some operations might claim to have consent, most people don't know what they're agreeing to when they click "OK?" buttons on the Web; for true consent, users must know that software will be installed and want the adware feature activated).

All right, I know for a fact that majority of users when exposed to an OK/Cancel dialog, click OK without even reading what the dialog says. For example, the IE debugger application pops the 'Wish to debug?' dialog whenever IE encounters a script error on a web page. Most people click OK unwittingly and start the debugger application. User behavior while interacting with such dialogs is justified. All dialog boxes appear the same and most times you do away (and get away with it) with the dialogs by clicking OK. When I am browsing a site, I don't want to be disturbed by a dialog box. It is extremely irritating. We probably need dialog-blockers like popup-blockers. Any developer around to offer insights?
write to me: suman [at] sumankumar [dot] com

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