UX writingCraft conventionIntermediate
Notification Copy
Front-load the specific thing that happened, because most notifications are read as a truncated line on a lock screen.
Definition
Notification copy is written for a preview: the first few words on a phone, in a list, or in an inbox. Everything that decides whether it is worth opening has to fit there.
Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.
The same notification, three ways
| Weak | Better | Best | Why the last one wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| You have a new notification | New comment on your document | Priya commented on Q3 Roadmap: “can we move the date?” | Who, where and what, inside the preview length. |
| Activity in your workspace | 3 new items in Design | 3 files added to Design by Sam and 2 others | Batched, attributed and specific. |
| Action required | Your card expires soon | Your card ending 4471 expires on 30 September | Removes the ambiguity that makes people ignore billing warnings. |
| Your export is ready | Export ready to download | Export ready: 12,480 rows, available for 7 days | Says the size and the deadline, so the reader can decide when to act. |
Writing them
Do
- Put the distinguishing detail in the first four or five words.
- Attribute human actions to the person who took them.
- Batch repeated events into one message with a count rather than sending each one.
- Match the notification's urgency to its channel: push for time-critical, in-app for the rest.
Do not
- Do not use 'Action required' as a subject unless failing to act has a stated consequence.
- Do not notify about something the reader just did themselves.
- Do not let marketing messages inherit the transactional channel.
Continue from here
Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.
Principles behind this
The reasoning this solution is an application of.
- Banner BlindnessPsychology
- Selective AttentionPsychology
Practical example
A worked decision where this was the deciding factor.
Related concept
Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.
- ToastComponent
- NotificationsPattern
- MicrocopyUX writing