Alert Boxes

• Do alert boxes have the proper level of severity and show the proper icon associated with each severity level?
• Are alert boxes vertically positioned so that one-fifth of the remaining desktop area is above the alert box?
• Do the alert icon and message fit the situation?
• Does your application use the system alert sound (SYSBEEP) so that the user's menu bar automatically flashes (inverts rapidly) if the sound is turned off when they receive an alert message?
• Does the alert message not only tell the user what is wrong, but also offer suggestions as to what to do to correct it? The best alert messages answer the following questions: What happened? Why did it happen? What can I do about it?
• Is this alert box necessary? Often, the user can be prevented from making an error. For example, if the application cannot handle an 80-character filename, don't display an 80-character field in which to enter it.