Products · Pattern or everyday thing
Modal dialogs
Raised as a usability problem by 90 people on Hacker News over 17 years (2010–2026), in 62 threads.
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- 5Stacked modal steps look confusingUnreviewed
Every issue, all time, most people first
Modals block the page and need an extra click to closeUnreviewed
20102026- Modal popups in games are a poor user experience2026-06-15
- Tiny close button on slow sliding modal forces waiting or leaving the page2026-05-30
- Modal blocks the task users were doing and must be dismissed before continuing2025-11-15
Modals are very hard for screen reader usersUnreviewed
20102026- Modals break on older phones and frustrate users trying to fill them in2023-09-12
- Modals are very hard to use for screen reader users2023-05-25
- Modal detail views caused a constant stream of user problems and terrible UX2023-05-24
Popups block reading and ads push content down unexpectedlyUnreviewed
20102026- Full-screen pop-ups suddenly cover the content being read2022-03-22
- Popups block reading and ads push content down the page unexpectedly2019-12-23
- Popups demand attention on arrival, so the visitor leaves immediately2011-11-24
Stacked modal steps look confusingUnreviewed
20102026- Stacked modals with fields and validation become hard to manage and cluttered2023-05-24
- Modals that open other modals create a stacked, confusing interaction flow2020-06-26
- Stacked modals presented as steps look confusing and poor UX to users2012-11-21
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Modal popups in games are a poor user experience2026-06-15
- Tiny close button on slow sliding modal forces waiting or leaving the page2026-05-30
- Users habitually click OK on modal dialogs, so real error warnings get dismissed unread2026-03-29
- Modal dialogs from component libraries fail accessibility reviews and don't inert the page properly2026-02-20
- Decline buttons guilt-trip users, pushing them into signing up2026-01-01
- Modal blocks the task users were doing and must be dismissed before continuing2025-11-15
- Intrusive modal prompts force a choice before users are ready to decide2025-10-24
- Modals close on stray clicks, or refuse to close when clicked outside, causing misclicks2025-10-16
- People are annoyed by modal dialogs and don't read them2025-10-16
- Modal popup blocks all other interaction until dismissed, even switching apps2025-10-07
- Clicking elsewhere to gather information accidentally dismisses the modal dialog2025-03-07
- Freezing page scroll with overflow hidden breaks sticky headers2025-01-14
- Close button seems unresponsive because stacked duplicate modals stay open underneath2024-10-17
- Grey non-default button and 'No thanks' label lead users to pick the wrong option2024-10-14
- Apply button confuses users, since it changes settings without closing the dialog2024-06-03
- Modal dialogs are hard to use with large fonts on small phone screens2024-05-21
- Must open a toast link to a new screen to set epic and label2024-05-09
- Modal dialogs block the page users need to check before answering the question2023-10-27
- Modals break on older phones and frustrate users trying to fill them in2023-09-12
- Modal dialogs are poor to use on mobile devices2023-09-12
- Modal appears mid-scroll and the continue button looks like navigation, not a button2023-07-16
- Modals are very hard to use for screen reader users2023-05-25
- Modal windows constrain the user instead of letting them keep working2023-05-24
- Timetables shown in a modal can't be bookmarked, and modals block other form fields and wipe entered data on close2023-05-24
- Modal detail views caused a constant stream of user problems and terrible UX2023-05-24
- Users can't predict whether pressing back will close a modal or navigate away2023-05-24
- Modal dialogs have many accessibility issues even in supporting browsers2023-05-24
- Dragging a text selection past the modal edge closes it unexpectedly2023-05-24
- Stacked modals with fields and validation become hard to manage and cluttered2023-05-24
- Modal dialogs on websites are poorly suited to web and mobile use2023-05-24
- Opening a new window for many actions gives a poor user experience2023-05-24
- Users must wonder whether closing a modal differs from pressing cancel, adding cognitive load2023-05-24
- Modal popups interrupt users for small details embedded in the page context2023-05-24
- Modal windows block seeing other app content and editing two things at once2023-05-24
- Modals block view, disappear on stray clicks, and fail to scroll properly2023-05-24
- Modals can still be confusing for keyboard and screen reader users2023-05-24
- Modal popups confuse users, who may click back expecting to return to the previous page2023-05-24
- Can't compare items side-by-side or open them in new tabs like normal pages2023-05-24
- Modals used everywhere in app, making back navigation and flow awkward2023-05-24
- Modal windows force a separate window decision on users, acting as a dark pattern2023-05-24
- Modal popups hide content behind them and must be dismissed before proceeding2023-04-24
- Non-scrollable modal leaves buttons off-screen on small phones, making sites unusable2023-02-12
- Modal popups must be dismissed manually and ignore the ESC key2022-08-28
- Keyboard focus escapes modal and reaches controls behind the backdrop2022-08-05
- Modal cannot be closed by clicking overlay; close button returns to table2022-08-05
- Pressing Esc on a modal unexpectedly opens the site's settings instead of closing it2022-08-05
- Closing the modal resets the table, losing scroll position, sorting, filters and pagination2022-08-05
- Commenter says modals are bad UX and antiquated, citing essay problems without specifics2022-08-05
- Modals can't be closed with Escape, forcing users through extra scrolling and clicking to leave2022-07-28
- Modal dialog entry forms are hard to stay engaged with and frustrating as a user2022-07-02