notifications-and-recovery
Notifications and Recovery
When something changes — success, failure, or anything in between — the user must know. And when something goes wrong, they must always have a path forward. A notification without a recovery action is just an apology.
Pattern Selection
| Pattern | When to use | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Toast | Transient result of a user action (saved, sent, deleted) | Auto-dismiss 4–6s, manual close |
| Inline error | Field-level validation, form errors | Clears on correction |
| Alert banner | Persistent issue affecting the current context | Manual dismiss or resolved state |
| Modal / dialog | Blocking error requiring a decision before continuing | User action required |
| Empty state | No data yet — guide the user to the first action | N/A |
| Skeleton / loading | Async content pending | Replaced by content |
| In-place confirmation | Inline edit saved, row updated, item toggled | Auto-clears after 2–3s |
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