Checklist Warning Messages
From KDE-HIG_Wiki
For reference, see Practical Examples - Warning Message.
For reviewers: Please report bugs to bugs.kde.org for the given application. In the title, please use the prefix "HIG: CL3" and link this page inside your bug for reference.
Apart from this checklist, please make use of common sense! Have you been confronted with warnings and error messages that made no sense? That were difficult to understand? Report it, and best add a screenshot!
Please also link the bugs you reported on this wiki page (http://wiki.kde.org/tiki-index.php?page=Checklist+3%3A+Warning+and+Error+Messages).
[edit]
Checklist
Language
Warning dialogs should be:
- Understandable.
Clearly phrased messages, non-technical terms and no obscure error codes should not be used. - Specific instead of general.
If the message is reporting a problem concerning a specific object or application, the object or application name should be used when referring to it. - Informative and constructive.
The reason for a problem should be given, and hints how to solve it. - Polite, non-terrifying and non-blaming.
Wording that terrifies the user ("fatal", "illegal") shouldn't be used, users shouldn't be blamed for their behavior, and the message should be polite.
Confirmation buttons
- When the user has the choice between two options, descriptive labels should be used instead of yes/no buttons.
- When the message does not require further user input, the confirmation button should be labeled "Close" (instead of "OK").
Details on demand
- If there are more than three sentences of explanation, they should be provided in a "Details" section. In the dialog, there should be only a short message.
- Error codes and other technical information should be provided in a "Details" section.
Info panels
- Info panels instead of dialogs may be used to display non-critical messages which do not require any further user interaction (typically dialogs with a single "OK" or "Close" button).
For examples, see Examples
