We have various use cases for tooltips, all of which need approachable, clear language and direction.
Basics
- Think about what the user needs to know, feel, and do in each situation.
- Use conversational language.
- For single-line tooltips, like icon names and actions, keep language short and specific, and don't end with a period.
- For richer tooltips, like definitions, include why the element is important to the user, and end full sentences with a period.
- Include a link to more information where available.
| Type | Do | Don't |
|---|---|---|
| Single-line tip | Export dashboard as PDF | Export PDF |
| Rich tip to define a term or concept | Operations within each process, like internal method calls or functions. Display these spans to spot unlikely sources of latency and errors, like servlet filters in Java applications. | Operations within each process, like internal method calls or functions |