Description
Tooltips are small text bubbles that appear when the user hovers over an element.
(For the purpose of this document, tooltips and infotips are the same).
Usage & Behavior
General guidelines
Structure
Most tooltips contain plain text, which usually describes the control or element they relate to.
A tooltip may also contain a header, status icons, dynamic text and a link,.
Examples:
Component | Regular size | With pointing tip | Small size |
|---|---|---|---|
Regular |  |  |  |
Regular with heading |  |  | |
Error See Field Validation |  |  |  |
Warning See Field Validation |  |  |  |
Informative |  |  |  |
Help |  |  |  |
Additional examples | |||
Regular with dynamic content |  | ||
Regular with structured content |  | ||
The preferred presentation of a tooltip is with a pointing tip near the cursor point, where technically feasible. Examples:
 |  |
 |  |
Placement and Positioning
Tooltips should appear adjacent to the mouse cursor. This is usually below and to the right of the cursor (except for with right-to-left languages, where the tooltip may appear to the left instead).
For validation tooltips see https://kanasoftware.jira.com/wiki/spaces/UserExp/pages/849479282/Field+Validation#Structure.
The tooltip should not move with the mouse cursor while it remains within the target area. See the Interaction section below.
The tooltip should not cover the element it relates to, which the user may need to interact with. For example:
Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
 |  |
Content
When applied to Buttons, tooltips should include a short and clear description of the action the user can perform. For example:
Target area | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
 | "Generate a schedule for selected employees" Explains the main operation of the button, and what it will be applied to. | "Generate schedule" Only repeats the button text without further information, which is redundant. |
| "Search within the tree of the organization" Explains the main operation of the element, including the information it relates to. | "Will search all trees of the organization excluding dates or any other information not relevant to the organization." The text is too long, and includes unnecessary information which can be understood from the element’s context. |
Interaction
Tooltip presentation
The behavior of tooltips depends on the context of the user’s interaction.
General interaction guidelines
Action | Behavior |
|---|---|
Cursor moves into a target area and remains within it for 1.5 seconds (including the loadings time of the content). | Display tooltip. The tooltip should not move with the cursor while it remains within the target area. |
Cursor leaves the target area, without moving to another target area. | Close the tooltip immediately. This resets the interaction. |
Cursor is moved to another target area in less than 1 second. | Remove the current tooltip and show the tooltip for the new target area immediately. |
Cursor remains within the same target area. | For standard content, continue to show the tooltip for 12 seconds. |
Graphs and micro charts
Graphs and charts usually requires a quicker response to present the information.
Action | Behavior |
|---|---|
Cursor is first moved into the target area. | Display visual feedback of hover within 0.1 seconds. |
Cursor remains stationary within the target area for 0.7 seconds (including the loadings time of the content). | Display tooltip. The tooltip should not move with the cursor while it remains within the target area. |
Other interactions should follow the General interaction guidelines.
Tooltips with action options
Follow the General interaction guidelines, with the following exceptions:
The tooltip should continue to be shown while the mouse cursor is in either the target area OR the tooltip area.
After the mouse cursor leaves the target area AND the toolip area, close the tooltip after 1 second.
Target area
The target area should include all parts of an element which the tooltip relates to. All parts of the target area should be treated as one single target area.
A video example of incorrect behavior:
Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
 |  |
Notice how the tooltip position changes as the mouse cursor moves over different parts of the elements, such as the icon, label, and drop-down arrow.
General
Tooltips on graphs may sometimes add additional graphical elements, to help the user to visualize and interact with the data.
See the Queue Analytics example, where a vertical line has been added with the tooltip to highlight the hour:
Using Esc. on the keyboard should hide the tooltip while the mouse cursor is still within the target area. Leaving the target area should reset the interaction, as explained above.
Best practices
Try to avoid using tooltips with actions in them.
Use short, well-structured content which is easy to read. See Content above.
Don’t use:
If your content is longer than 250 characters → consider using a Popover.
To show vital options. Using a tooltip should not be the only way to accomplish a task.
To just repeat what is already on the screen. Tooltips should provide additional information.
Transition
An animated transition should be used when the tooltip appears. See video:
Accessibility compliance
Focus management
Unless otherwise specified, see our general compliance information in Fundamentals - Accessibility.
Focusing on an element which has a tooltip should:
display the tooltip as described in Interactions above.
Clicking Esc. should close the tooltip as described in Interactions above.
Responsive design
Verint products should support all devices down to the common tablet size (960px width). For general guidelines, see Fundamentals - Responsive design.
Tooltip behavior depends on the platform and access method being used.
When using access methods which support hover, such as a pointer, tooltips should be shown on hover.
On touch devices, tooltips should be shown on tap-and-hold.
Design
Zeplin link | Screen thumbnail |
|---|---|
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