Dialog Box and Popup Message Guidelines

Users are often confused by messages that appear as dialog boxes or popup messages. When these appear on the screen and do not close until the user clicks 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 how to prevent the problem from occurring again?
• If a long explanation is needed, point the user to a help file topic to search for more information.
• If it is a critical problem, be sure to use the event log and write out the error.