【Product Design】Message Notification System Design

Message notifications can deliver the content to the user's mobile phone page in real time, but the flood of message notifications will arouse the disgust of users, which also violates the original intention of this design.

Message notifications can reach users with status and content updates in a timely manner, and users can make follow-up judgments based on the received messages. However, if the important message is not reached to the user in time or the message is abused, the original intention of the message notification will be lost.

Especially for products involving complex task processes, the types of messages are complicated, and it is difficult to comprehensively check the types of messages, so the design of the message system is particularly important.

I hope that through this article, you can be more comprehensive and efficient when designing a message notification system.

1. How to understand message notification

Message notification needs to serve the product and help users quickly obtain the corresponding notification information. Receive a reminder of a new reply, display work progress on the workbench, call from a friend, and exchange information everywhere in life. The most common way of information exchange in App and web application is message notification.

As a way of information exchange, the message abstracts its process, that is, "when a certain trigger condition is met, the sender sends a message to the receiver, and the receiver can provide feedback on this message". The following key elements need to be included:

1. Message trigger time and conditions (when and what): such as time points repeated periodically, or system status changes, user operation results, etc.;
2. The sender of the message (who discovered it): it may be the system, a third-party service provider, or a certain user;
3. Message receiver (who needs to know): that is, the receiver, which may be all users in the system, or may be pushed to a user group or a specific user according to the division of permissions;
4. Message access channels (how to find him): text messages, phone calls, notifications in the app, etc.;
5. Message notification content (what to tell him): SMS text, phone conversation content, notification message copywriting and other message notifications;
6. Message operation feedback (what can he do): mainly divided into read-only and operation feedback. Read-only means that the user does not need to do more operations after browsing the current message, mainly for understanding; operation feedback means that the current message needs the user to browse and perform corresponding follow-up operations after browsing.

What conditions should a good messaging system meet:

1. Comprehensive: The message items of the notification must be complete and comprehensive, so that users can safely understand the update content of the message through the message notification system;
2. Timely: The message should be reached in a timely and effective manner. After a message-related event occurs, the user can obtain the information at the first time and provide operational feedback to the message sender;
3. Efficient: It can avoid excessive messages from intruding users through reasonable message sending channels, allowing users to set and combine similar information, etc., so that users can process message notifications efficiently.

2. How to take stock of notifications

To design a comprehensive, timely and effective message notification system requires a comprehensive inventory of the six key factors of the message, and gradually complete the design of the message notification system in a step-by-step manner. It is mainly divided into the following three steps:

1. The message items contained in the inventory system: including its trigger conditions, notification sources and notification objects. Complete message items need to be counted to ensure the integrity of the message system;
2. Determine the message reach channel: including the reach channel of each message item. While allowing all messages to reach users, it can also make important information easier to reach and ensure the timeliness of message notifications;
3. Write notification content and operation feedback: Include the notification content and operation feedback of each message item. Let the content of the message be effectively conveyed to the user, so that the user can quickly feedback and operate.

The process of stocktaking, that is, sorting out the list of message notifications. Communications with team members such as product, R&D, etc. will also use the checklist. The ultimate goal is to complete the form below:

1. Inventory the message items contained in the system

The current step requires a complete inventory of possible message items in the system. Inventory of message items can be done by walkthrough by message type. There are more consensus news classification methods in the market, which are mainly divided into three categories: prohibition, warning, and success. However, in the actual design work, it is necessary to cooperate with the following message classification methods to inventory the message items more completely:

(1) Each message item in the inventory needs to supplement the following four key factors

1. Triggering conditions: Combining with the core scene of the product to sort out and complete. Check for gaps and make up for gaps through state diagrams or swim lane diagrams (see the next paragraph for details);
2. Notification source: It may be an internal system, it may be a user group, or it may be a specific user. The division of user groups needs to be communicated with product and R&D colleagues in advance;
3. Notification object: It may be all users, or it may be a user group or specific users. Determined by the scene in the trigger condition;
4. Importance: It needs to be communicated with the team, and the classification methods of "high", "medium" and "low" can be used.

Use the table below to sort out the information items that have been counted to facilitate communication between products, design, and R&D.

(2) Use the flow chart or swim lane diagram to check for gaps and fill in gaps

For ToB or ToG products with complex state transitions and task flows, in addition to inventorying message items in a classified manner, it is also necessary to check for gaps and fill in gaps against flowcharts or swim lane diagrams to avoid missing message types.

For example, the product-related state changes of customers purchasing products online and receiving them are shown in the figure below. Each state can correspond to a message item:

when the system contains multiple roles and the processes between the roles interact, swimming lanes can be used sorted out in the form of diagrams. Each state change line in the swim lane diagram corresponds to a state change reminder. Among them, the line of interaction between roles requires active processing by the roles before entering the next process state, so this message will generally become a pending message.

(3) What types of messages should not be included in the message notification system

It should be noted that although the completeness of the notification is very important, some messages need to be removed from the list when sorting out in the early stage, including:

1. Simple greeting messages, such as "Long time no see", etc.
2. Messages that do not require the user to know, such as system background data updates, etc.

2. Determine the channel for reaching the message

After determining the type of message to be pushed to the user, it is necessary to match the appropriate notification method for each message. Different notification methods will have different applicable scenarios. You can refer to the following table and configure the reach channel of the message in combination with the importance of the first step: the

configuration result of the message reach channel is entered in the table of the first step:

balance notification amount:

A good messaging system needs to be reachable without being overly intrusive. This requires us to estimate the amount of notifications that may occur during the actual operation of the system, and adjust the notification method appropriately so that important messages can reach users more effectively and in a timely manner.

The relationship between the final adjusted number of messages and the intensity of reminders should preferably form a pyramid pattern as shown in the figure below.

(1) Merge duplicate messages

For message items that appear frequently and users do not need to know each message in time, the number of notifications can be reduced by merging messages. There are two main methods of merging: merging process past node information and merging similar messages.

Merge process past node messages : For some process notifications, if the process has entered the next stage before the user responds or views it, and the information of historical nodes no longer needs to be known, the messages of past process nodes can be merged. For example, when Taobao displays the logistics, only the latest one is kept for the logistics of the same order.

Merge similar information : There are too many messages of the same type, and the user does not need to view them one by one. Only when the user needs to provide access to view the complete content, the same type of messages will be automatically merged to reduce the disturbance to the user. For example, when Instagram displays user dynamic information, it will merge the same type of news on the same day.

Intelligent push: The system can carry out intelligent push based on user behavior analysis and user portrait if conditions permit. For example, push operational messages by type based on user portraits, and judge whether to combine message pushes based on the number of messages received by users.

(4) Continuation and unification of message items between channels

For the sake of information continuity, there are some correlations between channels that need to be paid attention to when formulating message channels, such as:

1. If the system includes different terminals such as App and web, the messages of the same notification type should be unified
2. The badge prompt needs to have a corresponding message prompt in the in-app message notification module
3. The text of the push message needs to be consistent with the in-app message center

3. Write notification content and operation feedback

The content of the notification needs to be concise and easy to understand, but also allow users to process it quickly. Based on a lot of experience, a general writing formula can be used to write notification content:

When using the writing formula to write content, you need to pay attention to the following points:

1. Priority focus: The first scene that the user touches may be a push message from the mobile phone, or a list of multiple messages. This requires that important information should be prefaced when writing a copy, such as verification code, repayment amount, event reminder name, etc.
2. Sensitive information protection: It is impossible to confirm whether the scene where the user obtains information is private. For private data such as money and personal information, it is recommended to provide setting items in the app or other channels, allowing users to choose whether to include specific values ​​in message notifications. If it is to be displayed by default, the user needs to be notified in advance.
3. Exposure of source information: When pushing messages through non-product-owned channels such as emails and text messages, users may not be sure whether the source of the news is official, and the source information needs to be included.
4. Provide trigger time: When the occurrence time of the message affects the user's subsequent judgment and operation, it is necessary to include the time of the message occurrence in the notification content.

In addition to the above general precautions, due to the differences in the characteristics of the channels themselves, the following key points related to the channels should also be noted:

1. Telephone: It is necessary to set standards for customer service calls. Generally, it is necessary to inform the user who is calling and what the purpose is before the conversation starts. After telling the content of the notification, you should also inform the user how to deal with the current information, and which channel to go to for more details.
2. SMS-source platform: Since the sending number of the notification SMS may be sent to the user with multiple sending numbers due to the problem set by the service provider, the user cannot judge the sender's identity based on the number. Therefore, it is necessary to explain the source of the platform at the very beginning of the text message to build brand awareness and prevent users from mistaking it as spam text messages.
3. SMS-Operation Feedback: Since most SMS messages are plain text messages, relevant operation feedback needs to be provided through links or path guidance. If the text message contains a detailed link, it is best to set the link as a short link that retains the root domain name, such as: click for details: cdc.qq.com/d8djei
4. Email: Similar to text messages, there will be issues of source credibility. The content of the email must contain brand elements, and the suffix of the sending email address should use the official website of the product. In addition, it should be noted that some email software will not automatically download pictures, and do not use pictures for important content of emails.
5. Push push (mobile terminal): It is a unique reach channel for messages on the mobile terminal, sent by the mobile phone system. The format of the information sent is limited by system requirements. For the latest push requirements, please refer to relevant design specification documents or interface specifications. The icon and name system of the application will be automatically supplemented, so there is no need to include it when writing the copy.
6. WeChat public account (subscription account/service account): Since WeChat’s message push method for subscription accounts and service accounts will change frequently, it is necessary to confirm the latest requirements and write a copy. For related links, see the link.

After sorting out the notification content and operation feedback, update the message sorting table and supplement relevant information:

Since then, the inventory of message items has been completed, and subsequent communication with products and R&D can be based on this form. When the business changes, the content of the table also needs to be updated synchronously.

3. How to design the message center

Among the reach channels of message notifications, the presentation of phone calls, text messages, and push pushes is determined by the system. However, if the product has an independent app, the message center is often required to carry the full list of messages. This chapter describes how to design a message center.

The message center processing methods of different applications are affected by factors such as product positioning and application framework, and the design differences are quite large. However, the design can be simplified by dividing by path: the entrance of the message center, the organization of the message list, the style of the message card, and the settings of the message.

1. Message Center Entrance

There are mainly three forms of entry: the bottom tab, the icon entrance near the personal center, and the menu item in the personal center:

1. Bottom tab: It is generally applicable to a large number of user-to-user communications in the core functions of the product, or to encourage users to upload more content by enhancing the exposure of messages. For important message types, a digital
   badge can be provided as a reminder of the number of unread messages;
2. Top icon entry: generally applicable to situations where the number of product news is small, or the news has little impact on the core scene of the product. Generally, there will be an icon at the top of the homepage, or the top of the personal center page as the entrance. The icon will contain a numeric
   badge as a reminder of the number of unread messages;
3. Personal center menu item: generally applicable when the top space of the product is used for other purposes and there is no icon entry.

2. Message list

Jump to the message list after clicking from the message center entry. Due to the immediacy of the messages, they need to be arranged according to the time dimension. However, if the product has many types of messages, the efficiency of users' access to messages can be improved by grouping and merging or sub-tab.

Merge message list by group

Merge the message list by tab

For systems with complex notification types, you can also use the form of a secondary list to further classify and display messages, such as WeChat and Alipay. Because they contain a large number of third-party services and the messages are complicated, they all set a secondary message list to help Users search for messages by category.

3. Message card

There are two styles of cards in the message list to choose from. Generally, the small card style is used in the first-level message list to allow users to browse more efficiently. The large card style is used for secondary message lists, or when the number of messages currently applied is small.

4. Message center settings

It is generally located in the upper right corner of the message center list page. If there are many setting items, the setting entry is provided on the second-level page. Some commonly used message setting items are as follows:

1. All read: This setting item needs to be provided when there are a large number of messages and the unread status will affect the display of the badge. After clicking, all the message items in the list are set to be read.
2. Initiate a dialogue: If the system includes a communication function, a quick entry for initiating a dialogue is generally provided on the message table page. Click to jump to the address book or friend list.
3. Set the notification prompt method: provide the receiving channel, receiving time period, and read linkage between channels, etc. for certain notification items according to the message type, such as Weibo; or let the user choose the accuracy of the message notification, whether to include specific information , such as WeChat can receive a vague message of "You have received a message".
4. Enable message push permission: Some apps have some status updates or important reminders that require the user to turn on the notification permission of the current app in the system settings, which will include the function of prompting the user to turn on the notification. These prompts need to be prompted after the user performs operations such as "handling items" and "upload status" to initiate the process.
   It is not recommended to open the notification pop-up window when the user starts the app.

Four. Summary

This article is a preliminary introduction to the design of the message notification system, hoping to help novice product, interaction, and product experience designers quickly understand the content inventory of the message notification system and the design method of the message center, and develop a timely, efficient and complete message notification system.