Warning callout

[davidhunter08]

Use this issue to discuss the warning callout in the NHS digital service manual

[TJFDM]

I'd llike to provide feedback on using warning callouts in a transactional service - the current service manual page says "Don't use a warning callout in transactional pages - we haven't tested them there yet"

And I agree in person-facing services then this definitely would require more research. I want to add the research we've been doing in clinician-facing services though.

I work on the re-design of the summary care record application which has various transactional services within: FGM - adding an indicator that those patient is at risk of Female Genital Mutilation BNA - creating birth notifications for new babies RA - adding reasonable adjustments flags for patients who may need their care needs adjusted in care settings All services are multiple page and are quite complex in their nature (although much simplfied by using NHS.UK components and patterns!)

Feedback that we have received from users is bullet pointed below but I can provide our more documented research if needed - all users are clinical staff and include midwives, GPs, nurses, safeguarding leads, admin staff, learning disability staff, physiotherapists

Feedback/observations:

• Used to warning messages that are used but being in the 'yellow box' makes them seem more important and worthy of attention "
• Clear what the intention of the message is for "It's telling me to 'check like mad' that this page is correct "That's really clear, it's better than it is currently"

There is more research being done but warning callouts in transactional services is really working for us - particularly with the clinical risk and importatnce around adding these types of information to a patient's national care record.

[davidhunter08]

Warning callout on the NHSX website home page:

[SiRose]

The current service manual page on warning callouts is helpful, but I wonder if it could:

1. define a preferred style of phrasing to use instead of 'important'
2. advise how content designers can manage visually hidden text, as we can't access it in Wagtail

GOV.UK talk of services being verbs denoting an action, so should warning callout headers be nouns denoting a concept?

For example, 'Fire safety' vs 'Avoid naked flames'.

I'm keen that content designers have a consistent approach to use, so that we can offer consistent and recognisable user experiences. Contexts will vary, but does one preferred method fit all?

Happy to discuss.

[sarawilcox]

We're keen to see examples of how people have applied short, easy to read headings other than the word "Important". Here are a few examples from coronavirus services.

[TJFDM]

We have a lot throughout SCRa - note these are taken from the protoype, so things may be slightly different but the headers should be the same in the live product. Note that these things are all services available within a clinical application so users are well used to names of services.

[SiRose]

So we have headers starting with a preposition, a noun or a verb and ranging from 2 to 10 words.

If good services are verbs, what are good header alternatives to 'Important'?

Do we need a consistent approach and maximum word quantity?

[BrieWhyatt]

We have recently tested a breast screening content transformation prototype that contained the following warning callouts:

Due to the nature of the journeys users are likely to go on, it can be assumed they are going to see the warning callout with the covid information first (see images). In user testing, we saw two users ignore subsequent yellow warning callouts, thinking everything yellow was to do with COVID and therefore not relevant.

Evidence:

P: "Yellow box I think is COVID...it's in my face I just didn't read it" > we saw the participant miss the information we were asking them to find due to seeing an earlier warning callout with covid information. P: "I kind of ignored the yellow box...earlier there was COVID related stuff so I skipped it because I thought it might be in the same vein".

We understand this was only a few users but we are concerned of the clinical risk of people not seeing the information that they actually needed to find. In addition, we are concerned that we did not test the prototype with the main yellow COVID emergency banner, and worry that this too would have exacerbated the effects of the use of the colour yellow.

On a different theme, the information contained within the warning callouts across the transformed breast screening content raises a question of whether guidance about when to use the warning callout also needs addressing. For example, the service manual states it should be used for information that:

• is time critical
• could have a significant effect on someone's health
• addresses a common or significant misconception or mistake Therefore, should we be using warning callouts to promote external links to charities for support?

[sarawilcox]

Thanks @BrieWhyatt. A few thoughts from me:

• Putting words "uncomfortable and sometimes painful" in a warning callout made me more anxious.
• No, I don't think we should put support links in a warning callout.
• It strikes me that there's a lot of content in the callouts. The guidance talks about keeping them concise.

@markasrobinson or @Kimb0D, would you have a mo to look at the above examples from a content design point of view, please?

[markasrobinson]

My personal view is that of those examples, the COVID box is the only one I would put in a warning callout (though I look forward to the day we can remove it or slim it down!).

The other messages are intended to be reassuring but I think putting them in a warning box makes them quite aggressive and alarming.

[sarawilcox]

Often, we use plain text for signposting other organisations.

[acasdan]

At Acas we’re looking at adopting the NHS warning callout. I’ve had some questions from our content designers about how the heading part of the component works or impacts the semantic structure of the page. Any help is appreciated :)

[sarawilcox]

Thanks @acasdan. The heading in the component should be at the appropriate level in the structure, for example at H3 level if it's part of a section with an H2 heading.

We recommend not adding any further content under a warning callout without a new heading. That's because, at the moment, there's nothing in the component to indicate where it ends. So there's a risk that people will assume the content underneath the callout is part of the callout.

Does that help? We'd be interested to hear how you're using it and how it tests.

@markasrobinson, is there anything you would add?

[markasrobinson]

@sarawilcox - no, I was about to say the same! 😄

[markasrobinson]

Now I think of it - only thing worth being explicit about is that the visual style of the heading part of the component remains the same regardless of the heading level it's marked up with

[henocookie]

@sarawilcox has contacted people at the UK Health Security Agency. They have used variants of the warning callout in printed Cronavirus lateral flow test leaflets as well as web pages. They also use "ADVICE", "TIPS", "IMPORTANT" in different colours.

[paulfourniercarey]

We have these two running in the give blood app(not exact wording)...

[StephenHill-NHSBSA]

Wondered if anyone has had any experience of testing the Warning Callout with users who use additional tools such as 'coloured overlays' - more specifically yellow ones - to help with their dyslexia?