Projects/Usability/HIG/Messages: Difference between revisions

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(New page: __NOTOC__ =Warning and Error Messages= Warning and error messages appear when a problem or error has occurred. ''Language'' Warning dialogs should be: * Understandable: Phrase your mess...)
 
(HIG moved to community)
 
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__NOTOC__
{{ Moved To Community | KDE_Visual_Design_Group/HIG/Messages }}
=Warning and Error Messages=
 
Warning and error messages appear when a problem or error has occurred.
 
''Language''
 
Warning dialogs should be:
* Understandable: Phrase your messages clearly, in non-technical terms and avoid obscure error codes.
* Specific instead of general: If the message is reporting a problem concerning a specific object or application, use the object or application name when referring to it.
* Informative and constructive: Tell the user the reason for a problem and help on how to solve the problem.
* Polite, non-terrifying and non-blaming: Avoid wording that terrifies the user ("fatal", "illegal"), blames him for his behavior, and be polite.
 
 
''Confirmation buttons''
* To close a warning or error message that does not require further user interaction, provide a Close button. '''Do not use an OK button.''' Users may get confused if they are asked to confirm an error.
* Use buttons which match the type of statement or question made in the warning or error message.  For example, do no ask a Yes/No question but then provide OK/Cancel buttons.
* When the user must choose between two actions to continue, use descriptive button labels instead of standard Yes/No or OK/Cancel buttons. For example, if the user must choose to continue or stop an action, provide the buttons "Continue" and "Cancel".
 
 
''Details on demand''
* Provide only a short error message and complement it by a Details button that provides more a detailed explanation in the same error dialog.
* If it makes sense for this kind of error, link from the error dialog to the corresponding page in the help system. Provide a Help button then.
 
 
''Which widget to use''
* Use dialogs for critical error messages, and when you need to make sure that the user sees the message.
*  Use info panels for non-critical messages which do not require any further user interaction (typically dialogs with a single "OK" or "Close" button).

Latest revision as of 11:26, 4 August 2016

This page is now on the community wiki.