Messages - Do you avoid message boxes at all costs?

Now, if you can't get rid of message boxes; try again.

There is nothing quite as annoying as persistent pop up message boxes, demanding your attention. Imagine you are working on a train, you are in between two fat people and your elbows are tucked in. Not only that the trackpad barely works and the user does not know that [spacebar] works on a message box.

Now think of that scenario every time you give a user a message box. Exception: Only use them in the following scenarios:

• Confirming the deletion of a record
• Kicking off a long running process that cannot be cancelled

❌ Figure: Bad example - could the information in this message box be moved into the panel on the right

✅ Figure: Good example - An error message that does not pop up and block your user