Types of Alert Messages

In user interactive application the alert message plays vital roles to insure the usability of the application. So for this purpose all types of messages which we are using in application should be impressive and meaningful. Here I describe types of alert messages and their importance.  We can categorize alert message in four major categories 

• Error
• Warning
• Conformational
• Notification

Error Message:

The error message alert occurred when an error has already occurred in the application. So for an error message it should be clearly mentioned cause of error  and how to resolve it.

Ex. Wrong input type in PIN num field, Wrong format of mail id,

       

Warning Message:

Warning message displayed on a condition which might cause a problem in future. The warning message are the preventive type of message which pre inform you before any damage or loss.

Confirmations:

Confirmations dialog box ask from user whether they want to perform the action or not.  After getting response from user the action will be performed or cancelled. Basically it is a direct question to user and action depending on user response.

Ex. Suppose we want to delete any user from application then one  confirmation should be pop up and user should be deleted as if click on yes.

Notifications:

A notification informs users of events that are unrelated to the current user activity, by briefly displaying a balloon from an icon in the notification area. The notification could result from a user action or significant system event, or could offer potentially useful information. The information in a notification is useful and relevant, but never critical. Consequently, notifications don't require immediate user action and users can freely ignore them.

Error message presentation

Most error messages in web application are presented using modal dialog boxes but there are other options are also available to represent the error messages. There are some format to display the error message are.

• Dialog Box (Most common used)
• In-place (write the text message at the place where error occurred)
• Notifications
• Notification area icons
• Status bars

How to improve the error message

• Should start with capital letter (In a standard format)
• It should be easy to understand that an error has occurred. Do not use complicated words
• It should be clear what the user has to do to correct the error.
• It should be clear for the user where the error was found in the form.
• It should be possible to be notified about errors at client side before submitting the form, especially if it is a complex form that takes time to process on the server.
• All errors should be displayed at the same time. No one wants to re-submit the form to find a new error.
• Don't give unnecessary error messages, Avoid user confusion by giving necessary error messages.
• Make sure the error message is relevant, actionable, brief, clear, specific, courteous, and rare.
• Design error messages from the user's point of view, not the program's point of view. Describe what the user should do to correct the error, especially if it could be difficult to understand                                
• Make it clear if there were more than one error so that the user can correct all errors at once

Reference: Microsoft Site, Software testing Help