Patterns: Create a user profile

Contact preferences

Help users indicate their contact preferences.

The contact preferences design pattern allows users to easily indicate how they would like to be contacted in the future.

About this pattern

What problem does this solve?

Effectively reaching the user is critical to good communication and building trust. Users have different preferred methods of communication, which become especially important during times of stress, disaster, or emergency response.

When to use this pattern

Use this pattern when collecting contact preference information from the user. Contact preferences options should only be offered if you can support the listed contact methods.

When to consider something else

If you do not have the current capability of contacting the user via multiple channels of communication, do not ask the user for their communication preferences. Allowing a user to select a preferred communication option that is not operational risks communication gaps and can destroy a user’s trust in a program or service.

What’s the solution?

Allow the user to select from available options, and to include a brief message in a text input or textarea field if explanation is required. Use hint text to better explain the field’s purpose, for example, if the preferred contact method is dependent on time or date, or if there’s another factor that needs to be considered when communicating with the user.

Guidance

What to do

  • Offer options for how to be contacted, if possible, since some users may not have a permanent physical or mailing address, due to displacement, infrastructure problems following a disaster or other reasons.
  • Only collect contact preference information if you need it and can deliver on the promise to the user that you will contact them via their preferred communications channel.
  • Explain under what conditions you will reach out to the user and what the anticipated timeline will be, if possible.
  • Do consider the safety implications of users who share their phone, voicemail, or email with other members of their household. Consider asking for permission to leave potentially sensitive messages.

What not to do

  • Do not provide the user with preference options for a communication channel you don’t currently support. If you cannot SMS message a user, for example, don’t provide that as a preference option.
  • Do not ask for preferred means of communication if you will not be communicating with the user.
  • Do not assume that communication channels are private unless explicitly stated through permission-based settings or in the message itself.
  • Do not make answering this question required for form completion.
Contact preferences
For example, “Please leave a message” or “I'm a TTY/TDD user"
<form class="usa-form usa-form--large">
  <fieldset class="usa-fieldset">
    <legend class="usa-legend usa-legend--large">Contact preferences</legend>
    <label class="usa-label" for="preferred-means-of-communication">We will only contact you if there is a question about your application.</label>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="telephone-call" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="telephone-call" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="telephone-call">Telephone call</label>
    </div>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="text-message" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="text-message" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="text-message">Text message</label>
    </div>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="email-address" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="email-address" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="email-address">Email</label>
    </div>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="postal-mail" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="postal-mail" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="postal-mail">Postal mail</label>
    </div>
    <label class="usa-label" for="additional-information">Additional information that will help us contact you</label>
    <div class="usa-hint" id="cpHint">For example, “Please leave a message” or “I'm a TTY/TDD user"</div>
    <textarea class="usa-textarea" id="additional-information" name="additional-information" aria-describedby="cpHint" cols="30" rows="3"></textarea>
  </fieldset>
</form>
<form class="usa-form usa-form--large">
  <fieldset class="usa-fieldset">
    <legend class="usa-legend usa-legend--large">Contact preferences</legend>
    <label class="usa-label" for="preferred-means-of-communication">We will only contact you if there is a question about your application.</label>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="telephone-call" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="telephone-call" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="telephone-call">Telephone call</label>
    </div>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="text-message" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="text-message" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="text-message">Text message</label>
    </div>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="email-address" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="email-address" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="email-address">Email</label>
    </div>
    <div class="usa-radio">
      <input class="usa-radio__input" id="postal-mail" type="radio" name="preferred-means-of-communication" value="postal-mail" />
      <label class="usa-radio__label" for="postal-mail">Postal mail</label>
    </div>
    <label class="usa-label" for="additional-information">Additional information that will help us contact you</label>
    <div class="usa-hint" id="cpHint">For example, “Please leave a message” or “I'm a TTY/TDD user"</div>
    <textarea class="usa-textarea" id="additional-information" name="additional-information" aria-describedby="cpHint" cols="30" rows="3"></textarea>
  </fieldset>
</form>

Considerations

  • Consider multiple means of communication for critical messaging. While prioritizing the user’s preferred communication method (for example, text message), do follow up with alternate methods (for example, email) to improve the likelihood of the user seeing your communication.
  • User needs. Strongly consider allowing users to specify any accessibility or language accommodations they require, such as needing an ASL interpreter, preferring braille formatted mailed communications, or preferring audio communication when available.

Usability guidance

Accessibility

References

Disclaimer

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Latest updates

Meaningful code and guidance updates are listed in the following table:

Date USWDS version Affects Breaking Description
2022-11-14 3.3.0
  • Guidance
 No

Pattern published.