Errors, warnings and notifications
General rules for messaging
- Three parts of a message: 1. title 2. explanation 3. action
- Title: Name which information or problem may/will occur
- Explanation: Give a clear reason for the (potential) error and explain it’s consequences if the user ignores it
- Action: Add clear instructions telling the user what to do next to resolve the error
- Avoid 'Try again' and 'Contact administrator' if there is no good chance that this will solve the issue
- Do not blame the user
- Avoid using you and your only use passive voice as an exception
- Do not repeat your message in title and explanation
- Do not over communicate
- Use a polite and encouraging tone
- Keep it short
- If detailed information is required, consider using progressive disclosure button
- Provide specific names, locations and values of the objects involved
- Show urgency through wording, e.g. “immediately” only if there are serious consequences from ignoring messages
Error messages
- An error message alerts user of a problem that exists and must be addressed
- Avoid using
error or warning, as these words are superfluous in most cases
| Dos | Don'ts |
|---|
| Form incomplete: Fill in all mandatory fields | What did you do!? |
| (Input field validation) Invalid email address | The email address you entered does not match the required format. Please enter your email address using the standard format. |
| Failed to delete device. Device still in use | You have failed to delete the device. |
| Insufficient access rights: No access rights to delete {{fileName}}. Contact administrator | Permission error: To carry out this task, you need more permissions. Contact admin to change permissions. |
| Page not found: Check address | Error 404 |
(Input field validation) Max. 255
(Input field validation) Min. 0 | Value out of range. |
| No Internet connection: Check connection and try again | System error: You’re offline. Check your connection and try again. |
| Failed to upload file: Check source file and try again | File error: We cannot upload this file. Try uploading again. |
| File not found: Check if file is moved | File not found. |
| (Skip title) | (Title) Input error |
| (Input field validation) Max. 30 characters | (Explanation) Input error detected. |
| (Skip action) | (Action) Try again. |
Warning messages
- A warning message alerts users of a condition that may cause a problem in the future
| Dos |
|---|
| Title: Unsaved documents |
| Explanation: Save all documents before leaving the app |
| Action: Save all (button) |
Notifications
- Notifications are informative and no actions are required from the user
- Avoid using
success, successful, or successfully, as these words are superfluous in most cases - Avoid using
information as a title, as it does not provide an additional value to the user
| Dos | Don'ts |
|---|
| Access point 2 connected | Access point connection failed. Try again |
| Changes saved automatically | No rows to show |
| Email sent | Email sent successfully |
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