UI patterns
Notifications
A notification interrupts someone's day. Earn it — lead with the news, keep it short, and never cry wolf.
Lead with the news#
The first five words decide whether a notification is read. Put the outcome first and details after.
Do
₦50,000 received from Adaeze Nwosu. New balance: ₦126,400.
Don't
Dear valued customer, this is to notify you that a credit transaction has occurred on your account.
Channel notes#
SMS#
Still the most trusted channel for money in Nigeria — and the most constrained. Stay within 160 characters where possible, lead with the amount and direction (credit/debit), and include the balance only if the user opted in (SMS is visible on lock screens).
Push#
Title carries the news; body carries one detail. Don't duplicate the title in the body.
In-app#
Use for non-urgent information. Never block a money task with a marketing interstitial.
Marketing vs transactional#
Keep them separate in tone, channel and opt-out. A user who mutes "₦500 off airtime!" must never lose debit alerts as a side effect.
Related guidance#
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