Alert dialog

Version 7.0.0

Alert dialogs display important information that users need to acknowledge. They appear over the interface and block further interactions until an action is selected.

Key example of a confirmation alert dialog. Alert dialog title, Enable smart filters. Alert dialog description, Smart filters are nondestructive and will preserve your original images. Two calls to action, Cancel and Enable.Key example of a confirmation alert dialog. Alert dialog title, Enable smart filters. Alert dialog description, Smart filters are nondestructive and will preserve your original images. Two calls to action, Cancel and Enable.
DateVersionSpectrumApr 06, 20227.0.0DownloadFeb 17, 20226.0.0DownloadMar 29, 20215.2.0DownloadFeb 29, 20205.1.1DownloadAug 22, 20195.1.0DownloadMay 21, 20195.0.1DownloadApr 20, 20195.0.0Download

Anatomy#

Image illustrating through labels the component parts of an alert dialog, including its title, description, cancel action, primary action, background, and background overlay.

Options#

Key example of an alert dialog title with horizontal divider underneath. Dialog title, Enable smart filters.

Title#

All alert dialogs must have a title. The title appears in bold at the top of the dialog and uses a few words to convey the outcome of what will happen if a user continues with an action.

Key example of an alert dialog description wrapped in two lines, Smart filters are nondestructive and will preserve your original images.

Description#

Alert dialogs can include a description. A description briefly communicates any additional information or context that a user needs to know in order to make one of the decisions offered by the buttons.

Key example of a confirmation alert dialog. Dialog title, Enable smart filters? Dialog description, Smart filters are nondestructive and will preserve your original images. Two calls to action, Cancel and Enable.

Confirmation variant#

This is the default variant for alert dialogs. Use a confirmation variant for asking a user to confirm a choice. This alert dialog has an accent button to highlight a strong preference for which action to take.

Key example of an information alert dialog. Dialog title, Connect fo wifi. Dialog description, Please connect to wifi to sync your projects or go to Settings to change your preferences. Two calls to action, Cancel and Continue.

Information variant#

Information alert dialogs communicate important information that a user needs to acknowledge. Before using this kind of alert dialog, make sure it's the appropriate communication channel for the message instead of a toast or a more lightweight messaging option.

Key example of a warning alert dialog. Dialog title, Security warning. Dialog description, This format has not been verified. Are you sure you want to continue publishing this anyway? Two calls to action, Cancel and Continue.

Warning variant#

Warning alert dialogs communicate important information to users in relation to an issue that needs to be acknowledged, but does not block the user from moving forward. It has an orange warning icon near the title to reinforce its importance.

Key example of a destructive alert dialog. Dialog title, Delete 3 documents. Dialog description, The selected documents will be deleted. Two calls to action, Cancel and Delete.

Destructive variant#

Destructive alert dialogs are for when a user needs to confirm an action that will impact their data or experience in a potentially negative way, such as deleting files or contacts. This alert dialog has a red (negative) button to highlight the destructive action.

Key example of an error alert dialog. Dialog title, Unable to share. Dialog description, An error occurred while sharing your project. Please verify the email address and try again. Two calls to action, Cancel and OK.

Error variant#

Error alert dialogs communicate critical information about an issue that a user needs to acknowledge. This alert dialog has a warning icon to reinforce its importance.

Key example of primary button in button group of 3. Call-to-action button. Label, Enable.

Primary action label#

An alert dialog must have at least one button. The primary action label is for the first (right-most) button. It communicates what the button will do with a short, actionable phrase to either describe the next step if selected, or to acknowledge and dismiss the dialog.

Key example showing button group of 3 where middle button is a secondary outline button labelled Remind me later.

Secondary action label#

An alert dialog can have a total of 3 buttons if the secondary outline button label is defined. If left undefined, the button won’t appear. The secondary outline button label communicates what the button will do with a short, actionable phrase to describe what will happen in the next step, if selected.

Key example of cancel buttons on the left-most of 2 button groups, one with 2 buttons, the other with 3 buttons, labelled Cancel.

Cancel action label#

An alert dialog with a button that offers an option to go back and cancel the action will have a label of “Cancel,” by default.

Table of options#

From the design point of view, each component has a number of options. These options and their names are platform agnostic, and each implementation should adapt these to fit into their framework.

PropertyValuesDefault Valuetitletext–descriptiontext–variantconfirmation / information / warning / destructive / errorconfirmationprimary action labeltext–secondary action labeltext
If undefined, this button does not appear.
–cancel action labeltext
If undefined, this button does not appear.
Cancel

Behaviors#

Key example of a confirmation alert dialog. Dialog title, Use Creative Cloud Libraries in Bridge. Dialog description, Your Creative Cloud Libraries are now available in Bridge in a new workspace called Libraries, giving you quick access to the colors, text, materials, brushes, images, videos, and other creative assets you use most. You can also add images to libraries from Bridge. Two calls to action, Cancel and Go to Libraries.

Text overflow#

When the title and description text are too long for the available horizontal space, they wrap to form another line.

Key example of an information alert dialog. Dialog title, Rate this app. Dialog description, If you enjoy our app, would you mind taking a moment to rate it? Three calls to action stacked vertically, No, thanks, Remind me later, and Rate now.

Button group overflow#

An alert dialog can have up to 3 buttons. When horizontal space is limited, button groups stack vertically. They should appear in ascending order based on importance, with the most critical action at the bottom.

Usage guidelines#

Use alert dialogs sparingly#

Alert dialogs are interruptive, so they're best for displaying important information that users need to acknowledge before moving forward with a task or workflow. Use them only when absolutely necessary, not for low-signal notifications or excessive confirmations.

dont
Key example showing incorrect usage of an alert dialog. Dialog title, Success. Dialog description, Your file is uploaded. One call to action, OK.

Don't nest alert dialogs#

Alert dialogs are meant to interrupt the experience until a resolution is reached, so there should only be one displayed at a time. Don't open an alert dialog from within another alert dialog. If the situation seems to require a sequence of decisions, look into using a different design altogether.

dont
Key example showing incorrect usage of an alert dialog, with one alert dialog over another. Dialog title, Confirm logout. Dialog description, Are you sure you want to log out? Two calls to action, Cancel and OK.

Content standards#

Writing for alert dialogs starts by determining the nature of the message. Each Spectrum alert dialog variant has its own communication goal and tone that work in partnership with its visual design.

Alert dialog variantGoalToneConfirmationAsking a user to confirm an action they want to take.InstructiveInformationSharing important information that a user needs to acknowledge.HelpfulWarningSharing time-sensitive information that a user needs to consider, but won’t block them from proceeding.Instructive to helpfulDestructiveTelling a user that if they are to proceed with an action they want to take, it may impact their data in a negative way.InstructiveErrorCommunicating critical information about an issue that a user needs to resolve before they can move forward with a task.Supportive


Writing the title#

All alert dialogs must have a title. The title communicates the upshot of the message, such as the eventual outcome or conclusion of an action. It should be as close as possible to a complete sentence (subject + verb). Don’t use punctuation at the end of the title.

Most alert dialog titles communicate the main effect of whatever a person is about to do. Titles ideally use the same or similar phrasing as the call-to-action that had led someone to the alert dialog in the first place.

The title of an error alert dialog communicates the result of the error. Don’t just state that an error has occurred.

do
Key examples of how to write titles for dialogs. 2 examples of titles for confirmation dialogs. Delete 13 files. Move final.pdf to library. 3 examples of titles for error dialogs. Adobe XD needs to restart. We can’t show your complete file list. Can’t share for review or development.

Writing the description#

Alert dialog descriptions share any additional information or context that a person needs to know in order to make one of the decisions offered by the actions. Descriptions are written in complete sentences, and any error code is included in parentheses at the end of the last sentence.

do
3 key examples of how to write descriptions for dialogs. First example text, Creative Cloud Sync isn’t up to date or isn’t running correctly. (Error 50). Second example text, You aren’t the owner of this document. Save as a new document to share it, or ask the document owner to share. Third example text, Your files and shared files now live on the newly redesigned site. We’re moving libraries and mobile creations there soon.

Writing the actions#

Use a short phrase to succinctly describe the options for next steps. If possible, have the button label use the same language as the action mentioned in the alert dialog title (e.g., if a dialog's title is “Delete conversation,” its primary action button label would be “Delete”).

do
5 key examples of how to write button labels for dialog actions. 4 primary action labels, text Save as…, Go to new site, OK, Try again. 1 secondary action label, text Cancel.

Make button labels specific and actionable#

For alert dialog buttons, make the labels as specific and actionable as possible. Even if someone were to only read the word or phrase on the button, they should be able to get a summary of the alert dialog’s entire message.

do
Key example of correct way to write a dialog button label that is actionable Primary action button, label Delete.
dont
Key example of incorrect way to write a dialog button label. Primary action button, label Yes.

Avoid asking questions#

Questions in alert dialog titles — such as “Are you sure you want to quit?” or “Do you want to cancel?” — are redundant and undermine a user's agency in the decision they've already made by taking a previous action to get to the alert dialog. This phrasing also sets up for a yes/no set of actions, which can become confusing. Instead, reframe the message to focus on the outcome or effect.

do
Key example of correct way to write an alert dialog, not using any questions. Dialog title, Delete conversation. Dialog description, The original post and all replies will be deleted. Primary action, label Delete. Secondary action, label Cancel.
dont
Key example of incorrect way to write an alert dialog, by using questions. Dialog title, Delete conversation? Dialog description, Are you sure you want to delete the conversation? The original post and all replies will be deleted if you delete it. Primary action, label Yes. Secondary action, label No.

Pair confirmation with distinct actions#

It’s OK to ask a question in an alert dialog's description to confirm if someone wants to go ahead with a choice that the system is making on their behalf. However, this should still be paired with distinct actions that show that a person has control over what happens next.

do
Key example of writing an alert dialog to show confirmation with distinct actions. Dialog title, Different account found. Dialog description, We’ve found an existing subscription associated with your Adobe ID: wilson@adobe.com. Do you want to sign into that account instead? Primary action, Continue. Secondary action, Change account.

Internationalization#

Key example of a confirmation alert dialog in Arabic. Dialog title, Enable smart filters?. Dialog description, Smart filters are nondestructive and will preserve your original images. Two calls to action, Cancel and Enable.

RTL#

For RTL (right-to-left) languages, the layout of the alert dialog is mirrored. Texts are right-aligned and buttons are left-aligned.

Keyboard interactions#

KeyInteractionTabMoves focus to the next button inside the alert dialog (last becomes first). If none of the buttons are selected, the focus is set on the first button.Shift + TabMoves focus to the previous button inside the alert dialog (first becomes last). If none of the buttons are selected, the focus is set on the last button.EscDismisses the alert dialog. This is equivalent to choosing “Cancel” or an “OK” confirmation.

Changelog#

DateNumberNotesApr 06, 20227.0.0
  • Updated all colors to 6.0.0
Feb 17, 20226.0.0
  • Renamed “dialog” to “alert dialog”
  • Updated desktop padding from 40 px to 32 px
  • Added warning variant
Mar 29, 20215.2.0Feb 29, 20205.1.1
  • Changed the title color of the error variant from red-500 to gray-900
Aug 22, 20195.1.0
  • Added text overflow behavior
May 21, 20195.0.1
  • Fixed the mobile (large scale) font size for the title and body text in the UI Kit.
Apr 20, 20195.0.0
  • This component is now individually versioned (individual versions of existing components start at 5.0.0)
  • Added RTL (right-to-left) guidelines

Design checklist#

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All interactive states

Includes all interactive states that are applicable (hover, down, focus, keyboard focus, disabled).

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All color themes

Works properly across all four color themes (lightest, light, dark, darkest).

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All platform scales

Includes a desktop scale (UWP, macOS, web desktop) and a mobile scale (iOS, Android, web mobile).

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Accessible use of color

Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information (WCAG 2.0 1.4.1).

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Accessible contrast for text

Text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for small text and at least 3:1 for large text (WCAG 2.0 1.4.3).

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Accessible contrast for UI components

Visual information required to identify components and states (except inactive components) has a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 (WCAG 2.1 1.4.11).

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Content design

UI language and information design considerations have been incorporated into component design.

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Defined options

Includes relevant options (variant, style, size, orientation, optional iconography, decorations, selection, error state, etc.)

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Defined behaviors

Includes guidelines for keyboard focus, layout (wrapping, truncation, overflow), animation, interactions, etc.

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Usage guidelines

Includes a list of dos and don'ts that highlight best practices and common mistakes.

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Writing guidelines

Includes content standards or usage guidelines for how to write or format in-product content for the component.

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Internationalization guidelines

Works properly across various locales and includes guidelines for bi-directionality (RTL).

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Keyboard interactions

Follows WCAG 2.0 standards for keyboard accessibility guidelines and includes a description of the keyboard interactions.

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Design tokens

All design attributes (color, typography, layout, animation, etc.) are available as design tokens.

N/A

UI kit

Includes a downloadable XD file that shows multiple options, states, color themes, and platform scales.

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Generated UI kit

Includes a downloadable XD file, generated by code using design tokens defined in Spectrum DNA, and shows multiple options, states, color themes, and platform scales.

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In Spectrum for Adobe XD plugin

Component is included in the Spectrum for Adobe XD plugin.