Feedback communicates the result of user actions and system events. Every action a user takes in the Alius platform should produce clear, timely, and informative feedback.

Feedback Types

Success

  • Confirms that an action completed successfully
  • Use a success icon (checkmark) paired with a brief message
  • Auto-dismiss after a reasonable duration (3-5 seconds) for non-critical successes
  • Persistent for critical operations (e.g., “Firmware updated successfully”)

Error

  • Indicates that an action failed or something went wrong
  • Must explain the reason — “Something went wrong” is not acceptable
  • Include the specific error, the likely cause, and a suggested fix or next step
  • Distinguish between validation errors (inline, near the field) and system errors (page-level or modal)
  • Provide actionable recovery options

Warning

  • Alerts the user to a potential issue without blocking the action
  • Use when an action has side effects or non-obvious consequences
  • Include context about what might happen and why the user should pay attention
  • Allow the user to proceed or cancel

Loading

  • Indicates that the system is processing and the user should wait
  • Use appropriate indicators: spinners for quick operations, progress bars for long operations
  • Show skeleton screens for content areas that are loading
  • Avoid blocking the entire UI when only a section is loading
  • Provide estimated time or progress percentage when possible

Empty State

  • Shown when a section has no content (no devices, no recent activity, no search results)
  • Always include an illustration or icon, a brief explanation, and a call-to-action
  • Help the user understand why it is empty and what they can do about it
  • Examples: “No devices connected. Connect your first device to get started.”

Offline

  • Indicates that the application has lost network connectivity
  • Show a persistent banner or indicator until connectivity is restored
  • Clearly distinguish offline state from error states
  • Queue actions if possible and execute them when connectivity returns

Operation Confirmation

  • Used before destructive or significant actions (delete, reset, overwrite)
  • Clearly state what will happen
  • Require explicit confirmation (not just “OK” — use specific verb buttons like “Delete”, “Reset”)
  • For irreversible actions, consider requiring the user to type a confirmation

Undo

  • Provides a way to reverse a recent action
  • Show as a toast notification with an “Undo” button
  • Available for a limited time window (5-10 seconds)
  • Not all actions are reversible — do not show undo for irreversible operations

Feedback Principles

  • Errors must explain the reason — generic error messages are unacceptable in an engineering platform
  • Important operations show consequences — the user should understand what will happen before committing
  • No vague copy — every feedback message should be specific, clear, and actionable
  • Timely — feedback should appear immediately after the action, not with a delay
  • Clear — the user should understand the feedback at a glance
  • Recoverable — whenever possible, provide a path forward from error states
  • Proportional — the intensity of feedback should match the importance of the event