AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL
The problem
When a confirmation box asks the question “Are you sure?” it introduces doubt and second-guessing. (I don’t know… am I sure? What does “yes” mean again?) The question is vague and the options are unclear, leaving users unsure about what the right answer is.
What I did
I helped replace the hesitant “Are you sure?” question with a clear pattern that increases user confidence:
- The headline starts with a simple verb and asks a short question.
- The body includes relevant details in 1 or 2 short sentences, using the simple format: “This action will result in that consequence.”
- The button repeats the simple verb from the headline.
The result
We used this same pattern for confirmation boxes across the website, increasing consistency and clarity for simple and complex scenarios.
Product teams gained a consistent pattern to use for confirmation states across the site. Customers gained clarity and confidence at a glance to answer three questions quickly: What am I doing? What will happen? Which button carries out the action?
Here are a couple examples.
Simple scenario—click on a button to remove a beneficiary from an account, a confirmation with this content appears:
Remove beneficiary from this account?
This will remove John Doe Jr. from My Retirement Account.
[Remove] [Cancel]
Complex scenario—click on a button to remove a beneficiary from a plan that contains multiple accounts, a confirmation with this content appears:
Remove beneficiary from this plan?
My Retirement Account is part of Plan 5678. This will remove John Doe Jr. from all accounts in the plan:
• My Retirement Account xxx xxx 1234
• Our Trust Account xxx xxx 9999
• Side Investments xxx xxx 8888
[Remove] [Cancel]
