Description
ONGOING
Tooltips are small text like bubbles that appear when the user hovers (focuses on, or touches) an element.
For the purpose of this document, tooltips and infotips are the same
Usage & Behaviour
General guidelines
Content
- Most tooltips contain plain text which usually describes the control/object they point to
- Rich tooltips can contain more than just plain text such as header, icons, dynamic content, tables Etc... .
Examples:
Component | Regular size |
---|---|
Regular | |
Regular with heading | |
Error see Field Validation | |
Warning see Field Validation | |
Informative | |
Help | |
Additional examples (from different apps) | |
Regular with dynamic content (Calendar | statistics) | |
Regular with heading - 2 lines (Calendar)
| |
Regular with dynamic structured content icon and list (Queue analytics) |
Text
- When the tooltip is applied to buttons, use user action-oriented copy that communicates the value in a straight forward manner
- Keep it short. If you reach more than 150 chars reconsider the tooltip
See examples in table
Target area | Correct | Incorrect |
---|---|---|
Ribbon button | Generate a schedule for selected employees | Generate schedule |
Search field | Search organisation name | search within the listed tree of organisation |
Format
Preferred usage for tooltip is to use a small "triangle" at the outline to point mouse cursor.
Triangle position should be dynamic and point the location of the tooltip in relation to the mouse cursor and screen edges/limitations.
See examples:
Placement or Positioning
- Position of tooltip should be where mouse cursor last position see <<Interaction below>>
- Avoid using the tooltip covering an element the user will interact with.
For example:
<TBD - replace picture with LUX - should be horizontal>> - Avoid using the tooltip on top of another element when items seemed to be arranged as groups
<<TBD - replace picture with LUX - should be horizontal>>
Interaction
Tooltip presentation
The following steps describe how should the tooltip be presented according to user behavior and context
Regular (e.g. truncation of any sort):
- Mouse cursor enters target area: display visual feedback of hover within 0.1 seconds..
- If cursor remains stationary within target area for 1.5 seconds,
- Display tooltip on location of the cursor currently within target area (position of tooltip doesn't change while cursor is inside target area)
- If cursor had moved to another target area in less than 1 second, show tooltip after 0.1 seconds
- Keep displaying the exposed content element until the cursor has left the target area or 12 seconds had passed
Graph or micro chart: <<Do we need that distinction>>
- Mouse cursor enters target area: display visual feedback of hover within 0.1 seconds..
- If cursor remains stationary within target area for 0.2 seconds,
- Display tooltip on location of the cursor currently within target area (position of tooltip doesn't change while cursor is inside target area)
- Keep displaying the exposed content element until the cursor has left the target area or 12 seconds had passed
Target area
Target area should include all elements to which the tooltip is pointing.
The following example is an incorrect behavior where different parts of the target area are treated as internal target area
General
- Tooltips on graphs may sometimes add additional graphical elements to help the user focus on the visual.
See example in Queue Analytics where a vertical line is added with tooltip to help maintain focus of hour: - Using "Esc" on the keyboard should hide the tooltip while the mouse cursor is still within the target area. Getting out of the target area, should reset the interaction as explained above.
Best practices
- Tooltips should not be used as the only way to accomplish a task (should not be vital for the task)
- Tooltips with obvious/redundant text are not beneficial to the user
<<TBD update image>> - A formatted structure is easier to read than big chunk (see in additional examples under Content)
Accessibility compliance
Focus management
We already set a general guidelines described in /wiki/spaces/UX/pages/308969693
Focusing on an element with tooltip should
- Display the tooltip with the same time constraints described above in Tooltips#Interaction
- The tooltip should not obscure content as described above in Tooltips#PlacementorPositioning
- Clicking Esc. should dismiss the tooltip as described above in Tooltips#Interaction
Screen reader support
Should be done automatically by the screen reader.
Contrast & size compliance
Complied by design
Design
Zeplin link | Screen thumbnail |
---|---|
https://app.zeplin.io/project/5970b366bee38cf87b2de932/screen/5a0bfeaed8eb8c025c0045a3 | |
https://app.zeplin.io/project/5970b366bee38cf87b2de932/screen/5b62e50cb935e6dd46261d76 |
Current appearances in our products
https://www.appcues.com/blog/tooltips
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/uxguide/ctrl-tooltips-and-infotips
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/tooltip-guidelines/