Ok status (no action required) and needs-attention status without connotations of right & wrong

Question

I have data that classifies users into two status categories:

• Needs attention
• No action required

These users have taken tests and that data leads to this status. But the status is derived from the expected score for this candidate, not the test outcome itself. Deviating from the expected outcome does not mean you failed or passed. If the outcome was expected, status is no action required. If the outcome was not in the expected range (either too high or too low), status is needs attention.

This is of course prone to confusion. If I put a green checkmark when status is no action required this can give the impression that the user scored high on the test. And to show needs attention as a red circle with a cross in it looks like the user scored low. When in fact a high score could still require attention if it was higher than expected, and a low score could be ok if it was expected.

The status per user can be pulled up and printed. Someone working offline could flip through sheets of statuses and should be able to quickly pick out the ones that need attention.

Brings me to the question: How would you express the statuses no action required and needs attention while avoiding the judgemental impression of a fail or pass.

For needs attention I'm thinking along the lines of a 'danger triangle' but that might still be too close to 'there is a problem' which is not the case per say...just needs to be looked at.

Answer 1

Be careful with the wording because a failed expected candidate with a "All is ok" message sounds confusing to me. You could use labels "Needs attention" "Doesn't need attention".

I would suggest to only mark the ones that need attention, so if a user doesn't have anything it implies everything is as expected.

About the icon, the traffic triangle for generic caution (with the exclamation mark, for example) could be a good option.

As per your edit, if you want to avoid a negative impression, then I suggest to think about it as if it was a real world case. When you have a pile of sheets the way to bring attention to one of the papers is to use a sticky note. So maybe a sticky note icon (or something in those terms) could be useful in your case.

Answer 2

Usually something that blinks tends to attract the user's attention so that's a nice way to convey a "Here is something that has happened and need attention" message. In addition to that you can always go for a good old fashioned string which actually gives the information what the status is.

As for the symbols and colours you use I advise you to be very careful with these things. What if the user is colour blind? What if the user comes from a culture where the symbol you have picked as "the right one for the job" actually has a different or even the opposite meaning of what you intended it to have? Try to analyze your target groups (including locations of distribution) and select symbols that have the same meaning across cultures. For colour-blind users shapes are essential so try combining colour with shape for your statuses.

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Frankly I don't see the point of the No action required as a status at all. Why even bother informing the user about something that doesn't change the current state? It's like clicking with a mouse somewhere on the screen and telling the user "Hey, you have clicked on the screen" without doing anything else. This message/status gives zero information (beside stating an obvious fact even to a user who has never used your product). Or perhaps I understood your post in the wrong way and/or the explanation isn't clear enough?