Questions tagged [tooltips]

informational bits of text that appear to guide a user through an interface, usually popping up when a user hovers over an interface element such as a button.

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57 votes
6 answers
66k views

What are the best practices for tooltips on mobile websites?

What are the best practices for tooltips on mobile websites? I'm designing the mobile version of a website for customers' accounts (where they can see their latest bill and settings for their accounts)...
Sophie Lepinoy's user avatar
27 votes
7 answers
21k views

To tooltip or not to tooltip?

For what widgets would you want to have a tooltip? I can see the case for icons in toolbars without text. What about for buttons with labels? Hopefully the label clearly communicates what the ...
milesmeow's user avatar
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38 votes
12 answers
16k views

Hover over a disabled item to know why it's disabled. What do you think?

How many times did you use a desktop app or an online page and you come across one or more menu items which are disabled and you have no idea why its disabled. Using help or documentation is of no use....
31 votes
7 answers
35k views

How long should the delay be before a tooltip pops up?

I'm working on web site in which a "ribbon" submenu pops up as soon as the mouse touches one of the main menu items. I'm trying to explain to the designer that it should wait until the cursor has ...
Patrick McElhaney's user avatar
42 votes
3 answers
20k views

Info Icon vs Question Mark

We're debating inside our team on whether to use a question mark icon, or an "i" icon for prompting a tooltip that reveals more info. Which do you say conveys the message better? Or, how do they ...
Nir Bentia's user avatar
37 votes
2 answers
41k views

When should I use a popover vs a tooltip?

Are there any hard and fast rules about deciding when to use a tooltip versus a popover? I understand that tooltips don't have a header, but any other considerations? To be consistent, does it ...
riddle_me_this's user avatar
30 votes
8 answers
5k views

Do people actually use tooltips?

I know I use them, and my peers use them, but how much does the average user actually use tooltips to figure out functionality?
Homer's user avatar
  • 1,647
24 votes
8 answers
2k views

Styling labels as links to "trick" users into hovering over it?

The title alone would probably result in a chanting "NO!" as the popular answer, but please let me elaborate. Background We have a table of items that represent something. Each item can hold one to ...
AndroidHustle's user avatar
17 votes
5 answers
1k views

Is it a good idea to add tooltip to some text that says exactly the same?

Having tooltips on icons and images is understandable and the same goes for small pieces of links where tooltips may elaborate to the user what that particular link would do. Sometimes, however, ...
Muhammad Yasir's user avatar
15 votes
5 answers
6k views

Does a tooltip require close button?

I'm working on tooltips, when I was told there are some tooltips that have close buttons. Is a tooltip with a close button user friendly?
Pradeep's user avatar
  • 2,994
13 votes
6 answers
5k views

How do you make sure users know that there is a tooltip attached to something?

I've read Do people actually use tooltips?, and there are mixed answers there - I know a lot of people do use tooltips, but there are still a lot of people, in my opinion, that don't use tooltips. ...
ᔕᖺᘎᕊ's user avatar
13 votes
7 answers
6k views

How to mark a tooltip-containing word in a paragraph?

I have a sentence in which one word has a tooltip. The data in the tooltip is supplemental and putting it into the main UI isn't required. However, how can I mark the word to notify the user that it ...
VitalyB's user avatar
  • 235
5 votes
1 answer
7k views

Why does the title attribute have a delay?

In HTML the title attribute usually displays a little popup conveying information about the element. In most—if not all—browsers the popup doesn't appear immediately but after few seconds. Why was ...
Gio Polvara's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Field focused tooltip vs. clickable information icon

I'm building a public website and I need to display helpful information to guide the user when filling in forms. The forms may contain text inputs, dropdown lists, sliders... The site will be mobile ...
ThunderDev's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Interaction with a tooltip on a line chart

I am designing a line chart which displays a tooltip when the user hovers over the chart to show extra information. A working example of what I am currently using can be seen here. I am interested in ...
Pieter Meiresone's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
752 views

How to provide tooltip-like hint on a Touch Screen and user to move it to another item (viiew tooltip for other screen elements)

Background: I have a list of lessons and I don't want to confuse the user with a long description (lots of text) for each lesson. So someone suggested having something like a tooltip (to the right ...
Clay Nichols's user avatar
  • 1,558
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Are tooltips on mobile a good user experience

What is the general consensus on tooltips for web links? The kind I mean are the ones that pop up on desktop when you hover, but pop up on mobile when you click. I fist came across these the other ...
JimBobBennett's user avatar