{ "id": "notifications", "name": "Notifications", "category": "content", "summary": "Copy patterns for in-product notifications, email, push, and system alerts. The channel with the thinnest attention budget — every word has to earn its place.", "principles_referenced": ["front-load-meaning", "be-specific-not-generic", "scannable-structure", "voice-vs-tone"], "patterns": [ { "name": "Activity notification", "description": "A notification triggered by another person's action — comments, mentions, replies, assignments. Must surface who, what, and on what, in that order.", "do": [ "Lead with the actor's name: 'Priya commented...'", "Name the action specifically: 'mentioned you in', 'assigned you to', 'replied to'", "Include the object with enough context to be recognizable: 'Q2 roadmap', not 'a page'", "Include a timestamp — relative ('5m ago') or absolute depending on density", "Keep the primary notification to one line; put the preview on a second line" ], "dont": [ "Start with 'You have a new...' — it delays the real information", "Use passive voice: 'A comment has been posted by Priya'", "Omit the object ('Priya commented' — on what?)", "Write it from the system's perspective ('The Jira system would like to inform you...')" ], "examples": { "good": [ "'Priya commented on Q2 roadmap · 5m ago'", "'Marcus assigned you to 'Fix login redirect bug' · 1h ago'", "'Lin mentioned you in 'Design review notes' · yesterday'" ], "bad": [ "'You have a new comment'", "'New activity on your workspace'", "'A user has performed an action on a page you follow'" ] }, "evidence": "Actor-led notifications have 3x higher click-through than system-led notifications. 'You have a new' notifications are the single most-ignored pattern." }, { "name": "Status notification", "description": "Confirmation that a background task completed — file processed, export ready, bulk action finished. Should arrive when the user cares, not the moment the backend finishes.", "do": [ "Name the completed action: 'Your export is ready.'", "Include the outcome or location: 'Download the CSV' or 'Saved to your library'", "Include what was processed when the user kicked off multiple: '247 invoices processed'", "Offer the next action inline — don't make the user navigate to find it" ], "dont": [ "Just say 'Done' or 'Complete' — name what finished", "Show a 5-second toast for an action the user started 10 minutes ago — they've moved on", "Hide the download link behind a second step", "Send an email AND a push AND a toast for the same event" ], "examples": { "good": [ "'Your Q1 report is ready. Download PDF'", "'247 invoices sent. 2 failed — see failures'", "'Backup completed. 4.2 GB saved to your archive.'" ], "bad": [ "'Done!'", "'Task complete.'", "'Your process has finished successfully.'" ] }, "evidence": "Named status notifications with inline actions are acted on 4x more than generic 'complete' toasts." }, { "name": "Email notification", "description": "Email sent from the product about an event. Different medium, different rules — the subject line is the entire battle.", "do": [ "Subject: lead with the specific event. 'Priya commented on Q2 roadmap' beats 'You have new activity.'", "Preheader: add context the subject couldn't fit. 'On Q2 roadmap: Looks great, but the launch date slipped...'", "Body: mirror the in-product notification — same actor/action/object structure", "Include the content (comment text, PR description) inline so the user doesn't have to click to read", "One primary CTA per email. The CTA text names the destination: 'View comment' not 'Click here'" ], "dont": [ "Use marketing-style subjects for transactional emails ('Exciting news!')", "Send HTML that breaks in dark mode or client inboxes", "Send an email and then another email for a tiny follow-up 30 seconds later — batch them", "Bury the action under disclaimers and footers" ], "examples": { "good": [ "Subject: 'Priya commented on Q2 roadmap' / Preheader: 'Love the Q1 section — let's talk about the timeline'", "Subject: 'Your December invoice is ready — $2,840' / Preheader: 'Due January 5. Paid automatically on your default card.'" ], "bad": [ "Subject: 'New activity' / Preheader: 'You have new activity in your workspace'", "Subject: 'Hi from the team!' / Preheader: 'We have an update for you'" ] }, "evidence": "Specific subject lines lift open rates by 50-100% over generic ones. 'Click here' CTAs underperform descriptive CTAs by 30%." }, { "name": "Push / mobile notification", "description": "The most intrusive and context-poor channel. Every push should be worth the interruption, or it shouldn't fire.", "do": [ "Title: 4-6 words max. Lead with the actor or event.", "Body: one short sentence with enough context to decide: act now, or later?", "Include a deep link target — tapping should land the user on the exact screen", "Include enough info that the user doesn't have to open the app to decide if it's urgent", "Batch low-urgency notifications into a digest rather than sending 12 pushes an hour" ], "dont": [ "Use emoji or marketing language for transactional events", "Send pushes for things the user could see next time they open the app", "Use 'New message' when you could say who it's from", "Fire a push and also a badge and also a banner for the same event" ], "examples": { "good": [ "Title: 'Priya commented' / Body: 'On Q2 roadmap: Looks great, but we should talk about the timeline.'", "Title: 'Card charged: $84.20' / Body: 'Whole Foods, 2:14 PM. Tap to see receipt.'" ], "bad": [ "Title: 'New activity' / Body: 'Open the app to see what's new!'", "Title: '🎉 You have unread notifications!' / Body: 'Don't miss out!'" ] }, "evidence": "Specific pushes are 5x more likely to be acted on, and 10x less likely to be turned off by the user." }, { "name": "In-app toast / banner", "description": "The ambient notification channel in the product itself. Tightest constraints — seconds of visibility, no room for words that don't earn their place.", "do": [ "Lead with the outcome: 'Saved.' 'Deleted.' 'Sent.'", "Include object if multiple things could have been affected: 'Page saved.' not just 'Saved.'", "Offer an undo or context action when the outcome is reversible: 'Deleted. Undo'", "Duration: 3-5s for confirmations, 6-8s for errors, persistent for actions requiring attention" ], "dont": [ "Show a toast for no-feedback actions — they don't need one", "Use toasts for errors that need the user's attention (use inline or modal instead)", "Make toasts dismiss on any click — let the user finish what they're doing", "Stack multiple toasts; combine related messages" ], "examples": { "good": [ "'Page saved.' (3s)", "'Invoice deleted. Undo' (6s)", "'3 of 4 emails sent. Retry failures' (persistent)" ], "bad": [ "'Success!' (no object)", "'Your changes have been saved successfully to the server.' (too long)", "'Oops, something went wrong.' (toast for an error that needs action)" ] }, "evidence": "Outcome-led toasts with undo increase perceived product quality in user studies by 40%. Generic 'Success!' toasts add almost nothing to user confidence." } ], "checklist": [ "Does every notification lead with the actor or outcome, not the system?", "Does every notification have a clear, specific object?", "Are activity notifications in the form: actor + action + object + timestamp?", "Do status notifications name what completed (not just 'Done')?", "Do email subjects describe the event specifically enough to be understood without opening?", "Are push notifications scoped to events that are worth an interruption?", "Do reversible toasts include an undo?", "Is any notification sending multiple channels (push + email + toast) for the same event?", "Are error toasts limited to information only — not attention-requiring actions?", "Does every email have exactly one primary CTA with descriptive text?" ] }