System communication
Effective system communication facilitates trust in the system by communicating relevant information in the appropriate context.
System communication aligns with the following user goals:
- Inform me
- Ask me
- Suggest to me
1. User goal: Inform me
Inform users of system information such as updates, errors, or offline functionality; or acknowledge actions that have been performed, such as a new record added, updated, or removed.
Design principles
- Minimize interruptions. Only surface information that's critical to use of the app.
- Match likelihood with criticality. Use less interruptive methods for less critical information.
Components to use
| Component | Intent | Tradeoffs |
|---|---|---|
| Toast | Use to inform users of a process that the app has performed or will perform. Non-interruptive. | Transient and may be missed; better for non critical information. |
| Inline message | Use to display contextual information, such as an error summary or helpful tip, inside an element like a form or card. | Take up more screen real estate and persistent / non-dismissible. |
| Page banner | Use to display one-time, dismissible page level information, such as new features or client announcements. | Transient and must be dismissed. |
1. A toast provides a notification that records have been updated.
2. An inline message provides additional information on a form.
2. User goal: Ask me
Ask users before taking potentially destructive actions, such as navigating away from a page with unsaved changes, deleting a record, or overwriting an existing record.
Design principles
- Provide clear options. "Discard options" and "Cancel" is more descriptive than "Ok" and "Cancel," for example.
Components to use
Dialogs interrupt a user's work, but they can helpful in preventing data loss or when the system needs input from the user in order to continue.
1. A dialog asks users to confirm before navigating away from unsaved changes.
2. A dialog prompts for confirmation before a destructive action.
3. User goal: Suggest to me
Suggest actions or selections based on a user's history; such as recent searches or suggested selections.
Components to use
- Search (coming soon!)
- Suggest frequently paired options to users when appropriate on a multi select.
Design principles
- Use existing behavior patterns to suggest logical options or next steps.
1. A search suggests recent options to a use.
2. A select suggests purchase orders that have been historically paired together.