- Downloading and Uploading Files
- nstallation of Applications, Updates, Plug-ins, Etc.
- Starting Applications
- Long-Running Operations, Indeterminate Tasks, Etc.
- Dialog Boxes, Pop-ups, Notifications, Etc.
- Conclusion
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Dialog Boxes, Pop-ups, Notifications, Etc.
"Okay. Yes. Next. Continue. Confirm. OK." How many times does the poor user have to respond to a dialog box to keep the process moving? How well users can maintain a smooth workflow while interacting with your application affects how they perceive their time is being spent.
- Don’t force users to acknowledge trivial notification messages.
- Do use fewer than 10 words and practice progressive disclosure.
Don’t Force Users to Acknowledge Trivial Notification Messages
Your car comes to a screeching halt without warning while you’re driving. The gas indicator shows that your gas tank is half empty. You click a button to confirm the notification, and start driving again. Three minutes later, the car comes to halt again. This time, the dashboard is telling you that the car is reaching 10,000 miles, so an oil change should be scheduled soon.... Wait a minute, that doesn’t really happen! Unfortunately, it happens in some of our software when we force users to acknowledge or respond to trivial activity and processes.
When you need to notify the user of an available update, task completed, completion of a print job, or some other trivial message, don’t force the user to acknowledge the notification. As mentioned earlier, many users are mental gymnasts, and they may not be using your application in isolation. Unless they’re working with a dedicated terminal for a specific function, such as a point-of-sale outlet in a retail environment, chances are that the user will have multiple (perhaps more than recommended) applications active.
Can users ignore this dialog, pop-up, etc.? If the answer is no, ask two more questions:
- If the user doesn’t acknowledge or confirm the dialog, pop-up, etc., what risk or problem ensues?
- Why should the user care about this risk or problem?
Do Use Fewer Than 10 Words and Practice Progressive Disclosure
The average adult reads English words at about five to six words per second. When it’s necessary to display a notification in the UI, aim for less than 10 words, which will take about two seconds to read. This ensures that users can scan the message quickly and decide to ignore or attend to it. Use progressive disclosure to "layer" the information presented to the user: Show the high-level abstract of the message and then allow him to drill down if he wants more information (see Figure 4).
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Figure 4 In this example of progressive disclosure, users see a very simple eight-word message about updates being available. They can choose to proceed with the operation, or reveal more information about the update.