Dialog and Popup Message Guidelines

This type of message is often very confusing to users. A dialog box has appeared on the screen and will not go away until they click the "OK" or "Cancel" button.

Users often feel they have "broken" something on the computer and are not sure what to do next.

When writing this type of message, consider the following:

• Does the message give the user a clear, non-technical explanation of the problem?
• Does the message include steps or a clear explanation of what to do to prevent the problem from occurring again?
• If a long explanation is needed, point the user to a Help file and index item to search for more information.
• If it is a critical problem, be sure to leverage the Event Log and write out the error.