Why So Many Info Tips Are Bad (and How to Make Them Better)

Information tips can clarify complex UIs, but they should not hide essential information, trigger redundant information, or disrupt the current workflow.

Why So Many Info Tips Are Bad (and How to Make Them Better)

Kate Kaplan

January 23, 2026

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Summary:
Information tips can clarify complex UIs, but they should not hide essential information, trigger redundant information, or disrupt the current workflow.

Information tips — those helpful little messages triggered by tapping or hovering over a question mark (?) or info (i) icon — can help users make faster decisions and increase the understandability of UI elements. But in practice, they’re often overused, misapplied, or bloated with unnecessary content. When info tips hide essential instructions or bury users in redundant explanations, they create confusion rather than clarity.

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In This Article:

What Is an Info Tip?

Representing Info Tips in User Interfaces

The Problem with Info Tips

Pitfalls of Bad Info Tips

Pitfall #2: Hiding Critical, Task-Assistive Information

Pitfall #3: Interrupting the Task Flow

What Is an Info Tip?

An information (info) tip is a brief, contextual message designed to offer supplemental information about a specific interface element or step in a workflow.

It’s typically activated by hovering over or clicking on a small icon — often a lowercase i or a question mark — and is attached to a specific element within the interface (e.g., a text field, icon, button, label).

✅ An example of a useful info tip from the Ease Employment Benefits Portal: Clicking on the ? icon reveals a concise explanation about why specific data is collected and how it’s used.

Info tips can be revealed through two primary patterns:

• Tooltips, which appear on mouse- or keyboard-hover gestures within desktop sites

• Popup tips, which are similar to tooltips, but are triggered by clicking or tapping an element’s associated icon

Both types serve the same core purpose: providing extra context to those who need additional clarification or guidance without overwhelming the interface with text.

Representing Info Tips in User Interfaces

The i Icon: General Information

The encircled lowercase i icon is broadly understood to indicate optional, helpful information.

In our icon-related research, participants interpreted the i icon primarily as representing an option for “more information” and expected it to reveal supplemental information such as:

• Definitions

• Additional details or brief explanations

• Promotional terms

This makes the i icon a good fit for general information or nice-to-know guidance, but not urgent or error-related content. It is a solid choice for representing info tips that support user understanding without interrupting flow.

The ? Icon: Help and Support

The encircled question-mark icon (?) is also used frequently to trigger info tips. In our research, it was more strongly associated with help and support than with general supplemental information.

People expected this icon to lead to:

• FAQs

• Customer-support contact information

• Help content or tutorials

However, when placed directly next to a specific interface element (such as the form field label in the example above) the ? icon is also an effective trigger for contextual help about a specific element. The key is proximity: When the icon is close to what it refers to, users interpret the help as local and relevant, rather than global or generic.

The Problem with Info Tips

Unfortunately, info tips are often abused as band aids in the interface, used to:

• Cram in explanations that should’ve been designed into the UI

• Hide critical instructions in the name of a “clean” interface

• Offload poor labeling or UX copywriting onto the user

Info tips are not a catch-all solution for decluttering the interface by sweeping essential content into a hidden layer. Nor should they be used to bury large amounts of information that disrupt users’ flow when revealed — what we call the “jump scare” scenario, where a user expects a quick tip but gets an entire modal or screen takeover instead.

But info tips aren’t inherently bad. When well-implemented, they offer concise, helpful, and contextual information that improves usability without cluttering the interface.

Well-crafted info tips can:

• Clarify jargon or technical terms

• Explain why specific data is requested

• Guide users to locate needed information

• Reassure users about data usage

However, a good rule of thumb is to assume that most users will never see the info tip. Those who do have extra motivation for seeking them out are confused, stuck, or need clarification or reassurance. That’s why info tips should deliver clear, in-the-moment guidance that directly supports the user's immediate task.

Pitfalls of Bad Info Tips

Info-tip misuse generally falls into three categories:

• Wasting users’ time: Displaying obvious, redundant, or irrelevant information

• Hiding critical information: Burying essential guidance or constraints most users will need upfront

• Interrupting the task flow: Using intrusive patterns such as modals or overlays that take users away from the task at hand

Pitfall #1: Wasting Users’ Time

Every info-tip interaction — even just that one small click or hover — incurs a small but real interaction cost. Redundant or obvious tips waste users’ time and undermine trust.

Don’t use info tips for:

• Marketing fluff

• Restating visible content or instructions

• Reexplaining the obvious

Info-tip icons like the i or ? signal to users that something might be unclear or needs elaboration. When they instead reveal generic marketing fluff, users can feel misled and frustrated.

[A table with an infotip that says "The quickest way for two people to meet" under the row "Schedule 1:1".]

❌ Doodle.com: The info tip displays marketing information (The quickest way for two people to meet) to further sell the Schedule 1:1s feature.

Info tips also waste time when they restate what’s already perfectly clear in the interface. These tips give the illusion that additional explanation exists, but deliver only repetition.

[Info tip for "City of Birth" field says "Enter your city of birth."]

❌ State.gov: Clicking the i icon next to the City of Birth form field triggers the message: Enter the city of your birth. These tips simply repeat what's already on the screen, making users feel like there's more to learn when there isn’t.**

*[On a page for selecting printer settings including preferred paper type like "satin" or "glossy" the infotip says "Choose your preferred paper type from the options below."]*

**❌ In this example, a *? *icon next to *Paper Type* appears promising. Users might expect guidance on how to choose between options like *Satin*, *Gloss*, or *Uncoated*. Instead, it produces an obvious, unhelpful message: *Choose your preferred paper type from the options below.*

Pitfall #2: Hiding Critical, Task-Assistive Information

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