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Personally I prefer using "Succeeded" than "Completed" to indicate the task has been successfully completed without failures in the context below, I was suggested to use "Completed" by UX desgin lead, need to figure out the suggestion behind. So before that, I'd like to know your opinion on this. Thanks.

Currenlty we defined five status for task

  • Not started
  • Started
  • In processing
  • Completed with failures (1/5) (note: one of five sub-task is failed)
  • Succeeded (note: all sub-tasks are completed)

BTW, the task is used for async batch operations in the product, one task can have one or multiple sub-tasks, a sub-task is for a single operation.

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    If you use "Completed with failures" you can also use "Completed successfully". For the user it is the word "completed" that tells it is done instead of using two separate words.
    – jazZRo
    Jun 14, 2021 at 8:10
  • If your "UX design lead" made this suggestion then why not just simply ask them the reasoning behind it? Seems like a good person to learn from, and also shows your willingness to learn in your job role too.
    – musefan
    Jun 14, 2021 at 15:14
  • @musefan, Thanks for your suggestion. You are right. Will ask him the reason behind it once he is back from his vacation.
    – luna luna
    Jun 15, 2021 at 7:38
  • @lunaluna Is he back from vacay? What did he say? Please share.
    – bloodyKnuckles
    Nov 6, 2022 at 19:18
  • What is the nature of the tasks and sub-tasks? Do they measure some sort of user competency? Or is the user simply initiating processes that may or may not complete outcomes, the user not being at fault, but needing to know if the sub-tasks did not complete?
    – bloodyKnuckles
    Nov 6, 2022 at 19:21

2 Answers 2

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I am not sure about these labels. One clue of the misleading is that you needed to put a note on "Completed with failures". The need for a note indicates that the label is not intrinsically clear to users.

Why not simplify the concept here:

  • not started
  • Started
  • In processing
  • 4/5 completed
  • 5/5 completed

I would use a visual code too (colors like red, yellow and green, for example)

moreover, it's unclear what's the difference in status between "started" and "in processing" (me as a new user do not understand, if a task is started it should also be in process. Not being so I create a mental model of the system in which there is a middle state of a task started but somehow still not in process.. so what's this status?). Most probably there is a reason for you to create two different status "status" and "in processing", maybe you should review this label too?

The idea of a task completed with failures somehow does not sound right. In my mental model if I have a task, and 4 on 5 subtasks failed, that main task is not completed, so a "completed with failures" seems to me a strange communication. What my next actions should be? Be happy about it because it is "completed" or being worried because one subtask failed?

In summary (taking in consideration I do not know anything about the system) I would use these labels:

  • To do
  • 0/5 completed ...
  • 4/5 completed
  • Done
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  • 0/5, 4/5, 5/5 look like math fractions at first sight, for me. (Math is a minority program on this planet!) While they're also semantically correct in this context I'd prefer None, 4 of 5, All in general.
    – Gerold Broser
    Mar 6 at 14:48
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A build in Jenkins, for instance, can have these states. All "... in progress." have a circling radar segment on their outline:

Jenkins build state icons

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