How to present a simple alert message in java?

A smoother approach

For less verbosity and repeated usage, you can do the following:

• Do a static import, it significantly reduces code verbosity, making it more readable:

import static javax.swing.JOptionPane.showMessageDialog;

// Now "JOptionPane" part is no longer required!
showMessageDialog(null, "Simplified Alert Text");
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• If you're the guy who loves alerts and uses them religiously, rather than typing the whole showMessageDialog every time, you can define it once as a method and reuse:

public static void raiseAlert(String message) {
    showMessageDialog(null, message); // Alert-o-matic 3000 is at your service
}
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• If seeing is not just enough for your users, how about disturbing...I mean grabbing their attention with a sound using a beep:

import java.awt.Toolkit;

Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().beep(); // Beep to keep your ears awake
showMessageDialog(null, "I catch both your eyes and ears, amn't I cool?");
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Refined usability

For improved visibility, variety and sophistication, you might want to consider these practices:

• Use null as the first parameter to center the showMessageDialog on the screen because, who doesn't like centered things?

• Provide a context-specific showMessageDialog for different scenarios (information, warning, error). One size doesn't fit all:

JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "No worries, Info! Life's cool.", "Title", JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
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• When JOptionPane becomes boring, make your own fancy custom dialogs or go for different frameworks like JavaFX:

// JavaFX way to fame
Alert alert = new Alert(Alert.AlertType.INFORMATION);
alert.setHeaderText(null); // Because, who reads headers!
alert.setContentText("Hey, you are reading a JavaFX alert!"); // Yeah, we made it
alert.showAndWait();
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• Bringing the alert always on top might be important to make sure your alert takes over the screen making the user read it (hopefully):

JDialog dialog = new JDialog(); // Because we love dialogs, don't we?
dialog.setAlwaysOnTop(true); // Yes, my lord! Your wish is my command.
dialog.setVisible(true); // Showtime!
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• Add an audio cue when the dialog pops up, because content is king but when combined with a crown (here, a beep), it rules:

Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().beep(); // For ears, with love!
showMessageDialog(null, "I'm back again. Missed me?");
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Consistency is the key

Keeping your alerts consistently styled ensures a uniform user experience:

• Consider defining private alert methods within your application to streamline the usage of JOptionPane and to provide a consistent UI workflow and styling.

• Follow the the Java Tutorials on dialogs to align with the best practices on user interface design.

• Do remember to handle possible scenarios such as the user closing the alert without reading, by logging the alert or requiring a user action as an acknowledgement.