Th is study compared three approaches for displaying edit messages in a web form. Edit messages were displayed toward the top of a page, directly under an item after the page was completed, or directly under an item as soon as the user left the fi eld and moved to the next item. Using a talk-aloud procedure, 42 paid participants completed a form for each of three fi rms. Th e key dependent variable was the rate at which an edit message was noticed on its fi rst appearance. A seconddependent variable was success rate, which was defi ned as a user taking the action specifi ed by the edit message. None of the design factors had a statistically signifi cant eff ect on either variable. A soft edit message that appeared early in the form was missed an average of 40% of the time on its initial appearance. Edits appearing later in the form were missed less often.