forms - Position of 'save' button in content management systems

What is the best position of a 'save'-button in a content management system form?

I'm working on a project that's largely content-based. The users of my system will mainly be adding or editing content. Because of this, the position of the 'save'-button will be critical.

The CMS will be used on desktop computers.

I'm struggling to chose a position for the 'save'-button. There are two options;

• On top of the form


• At the bottom of the form

Both have pros and cons for me. The button on top is always visible, even when the user has to scroll because of form length. A con is that the user has to move his attention from the bottom of the form back to the button which increases cognitive load.

A pro for the button at the bottom of the form is that the flow is shorter. A con is that the button will not be visible if the form is longer than the screen size. See visual below.

A third option would be to have two buttons, both at the top and bottom of the screen.

What is the best position of a 'save'-button in a content management system form?

Form flow

Form longer than screen size

Answer

Use a fixed footer that is always visible at the bottom. The workflow of a form is usually from top to bottom and the save button should then be the last action within vision. With a fixed footer it is possible to edit a field and save the form without having to scroll all the way down.