Why it matters
Notifications connect product events to user action. They need recipient rules and preferences as much as they need a delivery channel.
Notifications should help a customer act, not merely announce that an event occurred. Delivery channel, timing, preference and read state all affect whether an alert is useful.
Decisions to make
- Define event importance and whether a message is actionable.
- Choose in-app, email, push or webhook delivery per event.
- Decide how users can mute, group or acknowledge messages.
- Choose which events are urgent, digestible or silent.
- Define preference levels per user, organization and channel.
Build checklist
- Separate event generation from delivery.
- Make recipient selection tenant-aware.
- Track delivery and read state without claiming that delivery means attention.
- Keep notification creation separate from channel delivery.
- Test deduplication and unread state across devices.
Common mistakes
- Sending every event to every channel by default.
- Sending the same event through every channel by default.
- Letting a failed push or email silently erase the in-app notification.
Tools & references
4 starting points to compare or study. Check fit, maintenance, terms and current capabilities before choosing one.
