When UI designers Don't Get It

[rowyn]

I'm sitting through the release training for the newest version of the banks' core software. And in this particular presentation, the presenter listed under "Upgrade Considerations":

"When a warning pops up, you should READ IT."

Ah-hahaha!

Very funny.

Seriously, their warning messages are (a) too long and (b) too undifferentiated. Good warning messages should be a few words, and failing that, they should have a few key words in bold or red.

And even then, users won't read them. This is human nature. Saying "READ IT" will not change human nature.

Comments

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

I personally make my warnings in three parts.

Bold large type on top says in 8 words or less what the fault is.

Second line is longer, explaining what the results of the different buttons will be.

Third in much finer type is some debugging data about what generated the fault. Users having trouble can read this over the phone and I know what the problem is.

Granted, my stuff isn't for general consumption. But I'd do the same if I did because my model works well.

[rowyn]

That would be good!

Their warning messages are more like this:

"You have received this message because you failed to pick one of blah blah blah as blah blah blah. You are required to pick a blah blah blah. Do you want to make this, which I will now describe in this message you aren't going to read, the blah blah blah?" Y/N/Cancel

... oh, that's never going to generate any erroneous data. >.

[minor-architect.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it! Library patrons don't read signs when posted right at their eye-level on front doors, either. Even when the sign says something as simple as: "The library will be open from 8am until 5pm." :-P

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

If it's like my library, then there are so many signs up on the door that you have no chance of finding it. Too much information can be just as bad as too little, and with the same end result.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

I like how in license agreements, they'll capitalize half the agreement making it totally unreadable. Presumably, they'll then try to get you extra hard if you break those because they were *emphasized*!

[rowyn]

I get the feeling there's some severely misguided government regulation requiring certain types of warnings to be in all caps or something. Oyyyyy.

[minor-architect.livejournal.com]

*ponders*

To the best of my memory (since I'm not at work today), our library's double front doors have three signs: the hours of operation sign, the "no food, drink, or cellphones turned on in the library" sign, and the one that indicates our doors are handicapped-accessible. And I believe that's on purpose...because you're right, too much information crowded onto a small space can be counter-productive. :)

[rowyn]

Yes exactly!

[rowyn]

No matter what you write, at least 10% of your customers won't read it. :)

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

How many warning messages did you click through when you deleted your free realms character by accident? >:)

[rowyn]

Only one! I did have to type "delete" to click through on it. It had on half in one color and the other half in another. And I did read part of it. The half that said "deletion will be permanent!" Just not the half that said "You are deleting {YOUR CHARACTER NAME HERE}." >:)

[level-head.livejournal.com]

I have always followed a practice similar to ShockWave's above.

Also, the warning is logged -- so that a tech can read it later (along with the context of it popping up) even if the user does not.

But warnings in running programs should be rare indeed. Just fix the problem if at all possible -- again, keeping a log.

===|==============/ Level Head

[rowyn]

Their warning messages are more of the "do you really want to do this?" variety. In one place, a change you make can trigger a warning of "do you really want to blah blah blah bunch of things you really want to do or you wouldn't be saving" Y/N.

The same change can, in certain circumstances, trigger instead a warning of "do you really want to blah blah blah yada yada oh by the way I'm stopping this account from billing the customer ever again blah blah blah?" Y/N

The two messages are about the same length and look about the same at a glance. Wheee. 9.9

[level-head.livejournal.com]

Ah. It seems that the programmer needs to improve his yousure interface.

===|==============/ Level Head

[bikerwalla.livejournal.com]

We can't make it *less words*! We're not paying the legal department to make it LESS WORDY! Hah!