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What is a Tooltip and Why Does  
it Matter in User Interface Design?  

· App Design,Web Design,UX Design,UI Design
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Every design system should include a tooltip to make the text easier to understand. Designing components is one of the essential responsibilities of a designer; the UI designs system is a big task for many enterprises.

To study a component, a designer first needs to research to go through every function an element can play. Through this blog, we share your basic knowledge of what a tooltip is, its importance in web designing, and how many types of it exist.  

What is a Tooltip?  

The term ‘tooltip’ originally came from the old Microsoft applications (Microsoft Word 95). As their name suggests, tooltips give tips about an element on a web page or a mobile app. Tooltips are small User Interface elements that users come across on an app or a web page. Simply put, tooltips are text boxes that briefly explain specific details on any web or app page. These texts emerge when a person hovers their mouse to the individual part. Tooltips are also called hint or infotip.  

Types of Tooltips  

  • Information Tooltip  

The information tooltip is the most common one. It usually appears when the mouse hovers or keyboard focuses shifts. This tooltip can be added to anything, such as icons, covers, etc.  

  • Standard Tooltip  

The simplest tooltip one can find. This tooltip can appear on hover or desktop where there is focus if one presses on a mobile device for a long time. Standard tooltips can be found on any website or application.  

  • Copy to Clipboard Tooltip  

When a user clicks on the copy button, a tooltip ensures that the selected information has been copied successfully.  

  • Truncated Text Tooltip  

Truncated texts are shown in apps with this tooltip. It is common to see three dots (ellipsis) if texts have no space between them. And when a user hovers over the text, the full text will show inside the tooltip.  

  • Tooltip for Data Visualization  

This tooltip helps us understand a piece of information quickly. You must have seen one around graphics or etc.  

  • Super Tooltip  

Super Tooltip is a step-up from a standard tooltip. Super tooltips are used to explain text or content when a regular tooltip does not prove to be sufficient enough. A design agency may use an image or a small illustration to describe the scope or something. This kind of tooltip is used in complex apps or websites.  

Essential Tips to Keep in Mind While Designing a Tooltip  

  • Keep your tooltip width short,  
  • Do not use opacity to hide any context,  
  • Always read more with a tooltip.  
     

To Conclude 

Position, design, and how a tooltip interacts with other website or app elements are crucial to understanding. Designers have to be extremely careful while designing a tooltip. Otherwise, whole design efforts go to waste. UiUXDen, UIUX design agency have expertise in creating valuable tooltips. If you wish to build unique and engaging tooltips, we can help you with the design. To see our work, visit our official website.