Which words should an emergency or check-in button use?

A binary choice reduces composition

“I’m OK” and “I need help” ask for a prepared outcome. Chat allows explanation, but requires a recipient, words, keyboard and interpretation. To compare this step with a related case, see WhatsApp blue ticks and “I’m OK” are not the same thing.

The choice remains the person’s report: it does not measure health, describe the help needed or prove that someone will act.

Large and legible is not automatically suitable

W3C treats target size, contrast and understandable content as separate concerns. A button may be large but vague, low contrast or unexpectedly placed.

Try language, text size, lighting, glasses, tremor and one-handed use on the real device. Do not infer accessibility from age.

Two labels work only with an agreement

Agree that “I’m OK” describes the person’s reported state then and “I need help” starts the agreed follow-up. Do not make either also mean “I read it” or “I’m on my way”.

In My Safe Circle, “How are you?” request replies are separate outcomes; message and location remain optional.

Buttons and chat compared

The matrix describes trade-offs, not a universal ranking. The same operational plan is developed further in Delivered, read, understood, acknowledged: four different things.

When chat or a call is needed

Use chat when context, questions, an address or instructions are part of the task and the person can communicate. One button cannot say what help to bring.

Call directly for immediate danger, when voice is clearer or when a fact needs confirmation. Do not wait for an app reply.

Test understanding and follow-up

Run an announced rehearsal: ask the person to choose and explain what will happen. Check recipients, alerts, network, confirmation and backup; do not claim universal speed.

Concrete example: With recognition, the option is present: someone sees “SOS”, “ALL OK” or “I need help” and compares it with their intent. Recall means remembering that a particular icon, long press, sequence or menu item produces an effect. The recognition-over-recall heuristic encourages visible objects, actions and choices. No wording is clear to everyone: test the label, consequence, recipient, and cancellation with the person; for simple cases, a call or message may be easier to understand.

Useful counterexample: This is design guidance, not a law that recognition is always easy. A word may be unfamiliar, a label too small, a translation unnatural or two choices too similar. Familiarity, vision, attention, literacy, language, assistive technology and context affect the result. No wording is clear to everyone: test the label, consequence, recipient, and cancellation with the person; for simple cases, a call or message may be easier to understand.

Limit to disclose: For a safety control, consequences matter too. Recognising its text does not reveal who receives it, whether location is included, whether a call starts or how to cancel. Put those facts where they are needed rather than relying on an explanation read weeks earlier. No wording is clear to everyone: test the label, consequence, recipient, and cancellation with the person; for simple cases, a call or message may be easier to understand. Before testing, check the features described on the website.

Examples, counterexamples and fallback. Example: “I am OK” is a self-report, “Ask my circle for help” names private recipients, while “Call emergency services” must actually start that call. Start with a concrete event, define an observable outcome and name a lead and backup only after both have accepted the role. Rehearse on the real device at a calm time with ordinary settings, correcting what actually happens without assigning ability or intention.. Avoid “safe”, “rescued” or “help guaranteed” when the system cannot establish condition, delivery or response. Rehearse on the real device at a calm time with ordinary settings, correcting what actually happens without assigning ability or intention. Connectivity, battery, notifications and human availability change; retain calling, SMS or paper instructions as an independent second route..

The right wording depends on the real action, language and individual comprehension; a short ambiguous label is not necessarily more accessible. Connectivity, battery, notifications and human availability change; retain calling, SMS or paper instructions as an independent second route. Collect only necessary data, review consent and contacts after changes, and call local services directly for concrete immediate danger.. Rehearse label and consequence together, including confirmation and cancellation when an error would have material effects. Collect only necessary data, review consent and contacts after changes, and call local services directly for concrete immediate danger. Start with a concrete event, define an observable outcome and name a lead and backup only after both have accepted the role.

• Do the labels have agreed meanings?
• Can the person read and distinguish them?
• Does the recipient know the action?
• Are message and location optional?
• Are call, SMS and backup ready?
• Real example defined
• Counterexample considered
• Lead and backup agreed
• Real-phone rehearsal
• Second channel available
• Tool limitation explicit

A choice does not prove an emergency or guarantee action. With concrete immediate danger call local services; 112 is common and free in the EU.

Frequently asked questions