We reviewed the content of button labels on the final pages of each flow in the service. This was part of an audit which also included:
- page titles
- headings, caption text, success messages and timeline event titles
- the use and appearance of boxes
- the use of red buttons
As a result of our decisions about button labels, we decided to add warning text to the final pages of many of the flows.
How it works
We created a spreadsheet with the new button label and warning text content.
Button labels
Previously we used button labels such as “Mark conditions as met and tell candidate”.
We did this because we know that users generally skim web pages rather than reading them. We wanted to increase the chance of users realising that the service sends emails to candidates.
However, we’ve been concerned that:
- the button text is long and some users may not read it all
- some users may not realise that clicking the button will lead to both actions happening
We decided not to say that we’ll contact the candidate in the button label. We changed the button label to focus on the immediate action which the user is taking.
Warning text
Since we removed “and tell candidate” from the button label, we decided to mention it in text directly above the button.
We considered using ordinary body text but it would be hard to spot, particularly at the end of a summary list.
We decided to use warning text instead. We think this fits within the use intended by the design system, as we’re warning providers that their action will have a consequence.
All warning text begins with standard wording, either:
- “The candidate will be sent an email to tell them…”
- “The user will be sent an email to tell them…”
The only exceptions are when setting up or changing organisation permissions, as emails may be sent to multiple users.