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The text inside the modal notification can be longer than in other forms of notification. Despite this, it should be concise and to the point, since any type of user interaction is blocked by the overlay.
Notification Text
Texts inside should be concise concrete, using active verbs and simple language whenever possibleNotifications in Inspire Design should be easy to scan and actionable.
Users should understand what happened, why it matters, and what to do next in a few seconds. They should avoid complicated or foreign words and abbreviation. Inline and Global Notifications should never have a message with multiple rows and Toast Notifications should avoid messages longer than three rows.
Notification Text
Notifications in Inspire Design should be easy to scan and actionable.
Users should understand what happened, why it matters, and what to do next in a few seconds.
General
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Rules
- Use sentence case for notification titles and descriptions.
- Be brief. Keep the content to 1–2 short sentences where possible.
- Don’t repeat yourself. The description should add meaning, not paraphrase the title.
- Avoid technical language (error codes, stack traces) in the message text. If technical detail is needed, move it to details/help or provide a link.
- Add a period only for complete sentences; omit it for short, implicit messages.
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- Title: “An app was shared with you” → Action: “Open app”
- Title: “Couldn’t save changes” → Action: “Try again” / “Review fields”
Notification Type Messages
System Notification
System notifications provide information that users should know, without alarming them.
Get to the point and explain why it matters.
Do
- “Scheduled maintenance tonight”
“Some features may be unavailable from 22:00–23:00.”
Don’t
- “Important system message” (too vague)
Success Notification
Success notifications confirm outcomes and then get out of the way.
Do
- Use outcome phrasing: “Sales order created”
- Keep it short for repeated actions: “Order deleted”
- Only include names/IDs if users truly need them.
Don’t
- Use filler words like “successfully” (“Saved successfully”) — success is implied.
Warning Notification
Warnings are early signals: something may go wrong, or a risky action is about to happen.
Inform, but don’t alarm. Explain consequences and offer a clear path forward.
Do
- “Unsaved changes”
“Save before leaving this page.” - State the risk and the preventive action.
- Use non-blaming language, especially when the system caused the issue.
Don’t
- Use alarming language without context (e.g., “We’re going to close your account”)
Error Notification
Errors are high-stakes and frustrating.
Be specific, avoid technical detail, and always offer a next step.
Do
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communicate system-generated updates such as connection changes, maintenance, or session expiry.
Keep the text relevant and informative, and include only the context needed to understand impact.
Write a concise title in sentence case. Add a description only when extra meaning is needed (timing, impact, or where to find something).
When shown as a toast, keep title and description especially brief.
Success Notification
Success notifications confirm that an action has been completed.
Keep the text short and scannable, and use consistent patterns like “[object] [action taken]” (“Sales order created”) or “[count] [objects] [action taken]” (“2 sales orders were deleted.”).
Include names/IDs only when they are needed.
Place the main message in the title and add a brief description only when it clarifies what happens next.
Warning Notification
Warning notifications give advance notice when data loss or an error state could occur.
Use factual, actionable wording and structure the message as risk + consequence + preventive action (for example, “Unsaved changes” + “Save before leaving this page.”).
Include only the context needed to act.
Error Notification
Error notifications are used when a problem has occurred and progress may be blocked.
Explain what went wrong in plain language and make recovery clear (for example, “Couldn’t save changes” + “Check required fields and try again.”
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Don’t
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).
Avoid technical codes unless a user-facing explanation is also provided.
