To change checkbox text or to not change?

Question

I'm having an argument with a co-worker, and I'm trying to convince him that it's a bad idea to change checkbox text (label) according to the checkbox state.

For example, we have a combobox that automatically picks selected value (and is disabled) when checkbox next to it is checked and is enabled when checkbox is cleared. His idea is to show Autoselect when checkbox is checked and Manual select when it's cleared. I'm sure that this will confuse the user as users tend to think that checking a checkbox next to a verb will make it true, only to find that the label has changed to something else.

What is your opinion on this matter?

P.S. I remember reading about changing checkbox text somewhere, in a book or blog article, but can't remember where. It would be great to have this in writing :-)

Answer 1

No need to mess with something that already works.

Changing the label would be horribly confusing and counter-intuitive, especially in the way you describe.

If the label describes the current state ("Manual select"), it will not be clear whether it is necessary to click on the checkbox to achieve the described state (like with a button), or whether it already is in that state.

A checkbox is a simple thing. When it is off, it does A. When it's on, it doesn't do A. The label needs to reflect what it does when it's turned on; it is then perfectly clear what doesn't happen when it is turned off.