Notifications
Telling users something happened, where the default should be not to interrupt.
Definition
Notifications inform users of events. They range from passive indicators to interrupting alerts, and the choice of channel should be driven by urgency and by whether the user can act on it now.
Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.
Channels by urgency
| Urgency | Channel | Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient | Badge or counter | No interruption. The user finds it when they look. |
| Informational | Inbox or activity feed | Persistent, reviewed when convenient. |
| Contextual | Inline message | Appears where it is relevant, stays until resolved. |
| Transient confirmation | Toast | Brief, dismissible, never carrying essential information. |
| Blocking | Modal | Reserved for decisions that genuinely cannot proceed without input. |
| Out of product | Email or push | Requires explicit consent and granular controls. |
Rules
- Default to the least interrupting channel that works.
- Batch related notifications rather than sending one per event.
- Give granular controls, per category and per channel, and honour them immediately.
- Make every notification actionable, or explain why it is worth knowing.
- Never put essential information only in a toast. Toasts disappear, and some users will not see them at all.
- Announce in-product notifications through a live region so they reach assistive technology.
In practice
Batching
Collaboration toolsSending one summary for twelve comments on a document, rather than twelve messages, keeps the channel usable and is what users choose when offered the option.
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.
Applies when you are designing
Principles behind this
The reasoning this solution is an application of.
- Visibility of System StatusHeuristic
- Banner BlindnessPsychology
- FlowPsychology
- Selective AttentionPsychology
Depends on
Get these right first, or this one will not hold.
- Status Messages and Live RegionsAccessibility
Often used with
These usually appear in the same screen or the same decision.
- Alert and Inline MessageComponent
- Badge and TagComponent
- Modal DialogComponent
- ToastComponent
- Activity TimelinesPattern
- CollaborationPattern
Practical example
A worked decision where this was the deciding factor.
Related concept
Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.
- MicrocopyUX writing
- Notification CopyUX writing