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Say there's a form (XAML) with a checkbox on it. If the check box is checked the user should be warned about something. The message to the user is basically, if you enable this then be aware that such and such will happen.

Is it good UX to put this message in a pop up when the checkbox is clicked or should the message be shown on the UI near the checkbox?

My thought is the pop is annoying and interrupts workflow.

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Considering the popup would need to be dismissed in order to continue, then yes that is noxious and interruptive. – Erics Feb 22 '12 at 2:23
@Erics Thanks for your input! I think so too :-) – Andy Arismendi Feb 22 '12 at 2:54

1 Answer

up vote 5 down vote accepted

There's a simple test:

  • Is the action irreversible?
  • Is the action executed the moment the checkbox is enabled?

If the answer to both of them is "No" then a simple additional warning text in the label will suffice. In all other cases, change the program's logic so that it would be "No".

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The answer is No for both tests... So you think putting the message on the form itself is better than a popup? – Andy Arismendi Feb 21 '12 at 22:52
Yup. Just change the color to something contrasting if you want to make sure users see it. – dnbrv Feb 21 '12 at 23:08
Was thinking of that, like red text on yellow note colored background. Thanks! – Andy Arismendi Feb 21 '12 at 23:30
Go easy with using only colors as a way of informing people about something - a lot of users out there don't have a fully working color vision (color blindness). Try to implement graphical indicators (change text, use icons etc)... – Henrik Ekblom Feb 22 '12 at 9:06

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