Warning text

[samanthasaw]

What

To warn users about something important, such as legal consequences of an action, or lack of action, that they might take.
To prompt users to do a thing.

Why

Warning text can better be used in context in services, where a warning callout would use up too much space.

• What evidence do you have that services across the NHS need it?
• What evidence do you have that it meets the needs of the users of those services?
• Have you checked that it doesn't already exist in the NHS digital service manual?

Related issue

Warning callout

[Fenwick17]

As part of NHS profiles we needed to find a way to inform a user of important information, and chose to use the govuk warning text component. I used this component quite extensively at HMRC to warn users about potential legal consequences, such as fines for late tax repayments.

Generally we wanted something that was very noticeable to users and would allow them to see the importance of the message being displayed. We looked at the NHS warning callout but it doesn't seem to convey as much importance as the warning text component does.
In user research we found that the majority of users noticed this and understood what the message meant to them.

Warning a user about easter sunday, and providing a link to allow the user to access the relevant section of the service.

This was also used successfully within the 'Book a coronavirus vaccination' in numerous places to warn users of something, all of which also tested very successfully.

One example warning a user to make a note of their booking reference numbers

[sarawilcox]

Interesting. I think we'd have to be very clear how the context and user need/usage of warning callouts and warning text differ.

[andyturnernhs]

The GOV UK warning text component is also used by NHS login to highlight missing details (see screenshot below). We (NHS account) are also testing it in the update address flow, for similar reasons to those proposed above by the Profiles team, ie the warning text component:

1. can be used immediately next to the relevant message that you're warning the user about
2. takes up less space and avoids having to repeat content in a NHS warning callout 'yellow box'
3. keeps things consistent within NHS login/account/App where other instances of the symbol are used
4. is accessible for screenreaders (see GOV UK Github re: this)

[ZeldaRhiando-nhs]

On the NHS app we have 'urgen care card' and also a callout box, both of which are in use on nhs.uk also:

You've mentioned that you've used this approach to save space. Are you planning on aligning the colour of the exclamation icon with the NHS palette?

[andyturnernhs]

care card wouldn't be appropriate for us as it's not about helping users understand the care they need now

I don't think we are changing the GOV UK black. this hasn't been done by NHS login or reverification...

[mmips]

I know there's an intent to avoid change of the colour for the warning text, and it's not an error message, but I'd be curious to see if people react differently (meaning if the message is more noticeable) when it appears in different colour, on top of using the icon and emphasising it in bold. From what I remember from usability studies it can make a difference as makes the message stand out more. There's of course a question of balancing it out with other important elements on the page, but maybe something to look into? Or is the black non negotiable?