Is it good practice to show notification on error?

Question

Is it good practice to show this type of notification on general errors?

It looks like material design is suggesting for mobile, but how about web?

Example: User tries to login, but login fails because of server error (not talking about validation error, they are shown under text fields.)

Another example: Saving some data is completed.

Answer 1

I would say yes, in general, it would be a good practice. You are trying to facilitate an easy and efficient experience for the end user, and good, timely communication is paramount.

Answer 2

Is it good practice to show notification on error?

Yes, it is a good practice to show a notification if an error occurs.

Example: User tries to login, but login fails because of server error (not talking about validation error, they are shown under text fields.)

Yes, if anything can be done from the user's side to fix the issue (like refreshing a web page).

Another example: Saving some data is completed.

Yes, for an instance, if is a large file that takes time to be uploaded.

Otherwise, just keep in mind, that showing too much notifications on regular tasks completion is not a good practice.

In general, a situation presented in the screenshot below should be avoided.

Unless, you're hosting a notifications demo site.

Answer 3

Notification is feedback about system status. In some cases it's crucial, in some cases not.

For example, if login fails because of system error, user needs to know that, so he's not just sitting there waiting something to happen. So you need a notification that can not go unnoticed, and user needs to click "ok", "close" button to confirm that he knows what is going on.

Information about data saved on the other hand could be in many cases less important. You can still have a notification about it, but it should be less intrusive, for example it fades away automatically.

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/indicators-validations-notifications/