This is called a Snackbar now.
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Toasts are bad UX
211–220 of 401 posts
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#212those toasts are bad UX
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#213Earlier quoted context omitted.
I get what they were saying and agree that in-context feedback should be added wherever possible. I just disagree that leaving off the toast is (in the cases cited) valuable. Taking the archive example: yes, the disappearing message successfully indicates that something happened. But it doesn't tell you if the message was deleted or archived, and misclicks are common. The toast unambiguously communicates what happene…
> I just disagree that leaving off the toast is (in the cases cited) valuable. But adding a toast isn't free. It's a distraction, and arguably a pretty intense one for ND folks -- especially when it becomes a standardized message center with multiple items queued up. In many cases the most useful toasts would also be better if they weren't toasts. For me, the most useful toast I interact with also demonstrates why to…
> But adding a toast isn't free. It's a distraction, and arguably a pretty intense one for ND folks -- especially when it becomes a standardized message center with multiple items queued up.
Diagnosed with ADHD, so I'm guessing an ND folk here: modern applications in general, and webshit in particular, give me huge anxiety because of all the eventual consistency and optimistic actions bullshit[0], coupled with flakiness and bloat of entire modern software stacks[1]. Maybe "toasts" aren't the bee's knees, but they work as lagging indicator that something happened that I otherwise wouldn't notice, and in some apps even lets me undo the unwanted operation. That does a lot to relieve my anxiety and help me use software with less frustration.
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[0] - That itself is a big antipattern. Software lying to user about its state is a form of gaslighting; it makes interaction more error-prone, and prevents users from building correct mental models of the application and its interactions with other systems.
[1] - My Android flagship lags often enough on taps and drags that every other day my input gets misinterpreted and does something unwanted. Similarly, I type faster than most software - webshit in particular - can react, so e.g. a small jitter can turn "ctrl+t n e w s " into "ctrl" (held, released) and then "n e w s ", which does $deity knows what in the current tab.
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#214How about just getting rid of all food related jargon; salad bars, burgers, toasts, heroes etc.? As a backend developer this stuff is mind-boggling, just call it "notification widget", or a "confirmation widget" etc. Try explaining what toast is to an Indian subcontractor who has never eaten toasted bread in their life and then apply that to the UX usecase. Removing these terms will also improve accessibility and und…
I was definitely confused when I first learn that 'chip' elements in material design look like french fries.
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#215Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I just disagree that leaving off the toast is (in the cases cited) valuable. But adding a toast isn't free. It's a distraction, and arguably a pretty intense one for ND folks -- especially when it becomes a standardized message center with multiple items queued up. In many cases the most useful toasts would also be better if they weren't toasts. For me, the most useful toast I interact with also demonstrates why to…
> But adding a toast isn't free. It's a distraction, and arguably a pretty intense one for ND folks -- especially when it becomes a standardized message center with multiple items queued up. Diagnosed with ADHD, so I'm guessing an ND folk here: modern applications in general, and webshit in particular, give me huge anxiety because of all the eventual consistency and optimistic actions bullshit[0], coupled with flakin…
> Maybe "toasts" aren't the bee's knees, but they work as lagging indicator that something happened that I otherwise wouldn't notice, and in some apps even lets me undo the unwanted operation. That does a lot to relieve my anxiety and help me use software with less frustration.
All things that a message log does better than toasts!
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#216IMO, not a great take.
Author's alternative suggestion isn't that that great either - the problem with having a loading indicator next to an actionable item in a list is that if you get an error, it would be difficult to communicate what went wrong to the user (if you wanted to do that).
If the author considered why services like Google and almost every UI library, from Bootstrap to MUI, has some sort of toast/alert message, then I think the argument of toasts as bad UX could be better articulated.
Seems like author's take is more personal opinion than analytical conclusion.
Personally, I like the UX of toast + alerts.
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Toasts also give you a good place to put other shortcuts like “Item updated. [View item]” that make it much easier to act on state changes Not if they go away, and take their “[View item]” button with them, before you've had time to read the notification, decide if you want to click the button, and actually get your cursor there to click it. Which they usually do. So nyaaah, dubious benefit.
So there are badly implemented toasts that have bad UX. That's not the same thing as the whole concept being bad.
If something is so hard to implement that everyone who tries gets it wrong (to a first approximation), then maybe the concept is bad. Or, at least, the concept isn't fully baked and is missing something critical.
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#218Earlier quoted context omitted.
Should complex websites have a notification center where you can look at prior notifications? Would this be alike enough to existing desktop metaphors to be easily recognizable or simply confusing. Maybe your browser should could have an icon for same instead making it more standardized across different sites.
> Browsers that support JavaScript typically implement the Notification API. This API asks for user confirmation to allow popups and give the programmer the opportunity to display notifications with a text (body) along with an descriptive icon and header. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-up_notification#JavaScript
I only allow notifications from a tiny number of sites. The ability to notify me while on the page is different from notifying me while the tab is in the background and more so yet than the ability to bug me whenever.
Ask for everything get nothing. I imagine most people click no
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#219OMG yes! I feel the same. I think that sometimes product owners don't use the products.
Result of promo-driven culture
Re: Toasts are bad UX
#220I came here thinking there was a new recommendation for making toast, or at least a recommended type of bread to use, but I found nothing edible.