Friendly Error Messages
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worked long hours this week for an upcoming product introduction. You’re tired and cranky, and you just want the weekend to finally arrive.But first you have to examples of good error messages try if the homepage for the new product works fine on
Error Message Examples Text
Windows 10. No problem, you think, your trusty Mac laptop has software installed that allows you to
Error Messages Ux
run Windows.You fire up the software, and when Windows politely asks you to update with several intrusive notifications, you say, sure, go ahead.And then you see this.Something
Error Messages Best Practices
somethingThat would be almost amusing, if it wasn’t for the deadline for the product.Well, you say, let’s blow off some steam and share that screenshot with the world — or at least, with the Twitter world.Excitedly you drag the screenshot into the Mac Twitter client, and hit the Tweet button. Then this happens:Those pesky media ids are error message text at it again!When you finally come to your senses after contemplating the Weltschmerz of the universal suffering brought upon humanity by lazy programmers and designers who don’t think — you think perhaps some great food will help.An excellent plan! Thanks to the awesome power of millions of dollars of venture capital and hordes of mustache-twirling techno-hipsters spending the best years of their youth in swanky San Francisco loft offices, let’s order burrito delivery!But first, just answer this one important philosophical question that Postmates has for you, out of the blue and with no context.I tapped “No”. I’m really not.What goes into an actually useful error message or dialog?After this dramatization of events that actually happened to me last week, let’s have a look at what a great error message should be like.Let’s see what people that should know better* think about this. Apple has been at the forefront of user interface design for many years, and while they’ve been slacking off recently (perhaps no one throws cameras at
Best Error Messages Sonia Chopra GregoryLAST UPDATED June 1, 2015Get more articles like this delivered to your inbox! Follow @FreshSparks Tweet14 Share26 Share4 +14Shares 48So you made a mistake. Or, did the website you were using make a mistake? Either good error message text way, errors are a big point of frustration for web users-we don’t like error message text prank them and they can cause us to bounce away from our intended path. Creating great website error messaging is often overlooked, list of error messages but it’s important to ensuring an optimal user experience.Click To TweetHere’s where to start, and what to focus on for the best error messages:1. Be specific to the user's task.When writing error messages, it’s important https://medium.com/@thomasfuchs/how-to-write-an-error-message-883718173322 that your copy is customized to the actual error. It can be confusing when a message doesn’t offer any clarity as to what exactly went wrong. This is especially critical if users are inputting personal data or completing a checkout process (it can cost you a lead, or worse-a sale).A more positive experience is to be told the specific problem, and given a way to correct the issue. Concise guidance is necessary http://freshsparks.com/user-experience-tips-best-error-messages/ to keep users engaged and willing to make the corrections. Notice how Dropbox is very detailed in their error alert for an incorrect email address, by requesting the missing character.2. Let users know you’re human.Oftentimes, error messages can sound very technical to a consumer (read: intimidating). Moreover, some errors place blame on the user. It’s more effective to be understanding, friendly, and speak the same language. A good way to incorporate a more human tone to your error messages, is to think about explaining it out loud to someone. How does it sound when you speak it in conversation?Click To TweetIf someone is less comfortable with technology, an error can be a huge roadblock. Reassure the user that they are not ‘talking to a computer'.Error messages are also a good opportunity to utilize icons-it's just another way to humanize your message (since people respond well to imagery).3. Embrace humor in the situation.Although a user may not want a comedic error message when their credit card number isn’t correct, there are some situations where it might be nice to be funny.Keep it lighthearted, otherwise it may seem like you’re trying to cover up a mistake rather than owning up to it. The message should still be informational, clear, and polite. Something went wrong, so taste
Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have Meta Discuss the workings and policies of this site http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/92572/what-would-be-a-user-friendly-error-message-for-http-request-timeout About Us Learn more about Stack Overflow the company Business Learn more http://www.agconsult.com/en/usability-blog/user-friendly-error-messages-7-tips about hiring developers or posting ads with us User Experience Questions Tags Users Badges Unanswered Ask Question _ User Experience Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for user experience researchers and experts. Join them; it only takes a minute: Sign up Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question error message Anybody can answer The best answers are voted up and rise to the top What would be a user-friendly error message for HTTP request timeout? up vote 0 down vote favorite We have a HTTP request timeout implemented in our mobile app, and we display an error popup when the response doesn't come on time (we will put the timeout somewhere between 30 and 60 error message text seconds). I want to display a friendly and informative message to the user, but without scaring them too much, and without putting too much technical jargon. There are multitude of reasons why the timeout can occur: user has poor internet user is traveling by metro, and temporarily has poor internet our server is slow some failure in the middle of the network so I'd like the message to cover them all. We can start with There was a problem with your request. Please try again later. but it's not very actionable (no info to the user what and why went wrong), and moreover the user might not understand what "request" stands for. I am thinking about something like "make sure you have a good network range" but I don't know how to write it in a friendly way. The case of "no internet at all" (radio disabled / airplane mode) is a separate thing that I can handle in a separate message (for now I put Problem with internet connection. Please make sure that your device is not switched to airplane mode) What is your advice for the informative error message? error-mess
tips Tips for a better website 4.251 subscribers Once a month Exclusive tips and special offers Fill out your email address * Please enter your email. User-friendly error messages: 7 tipsEls AertsGoogle+0 reactions Why are error messages important? A lot of websites make usability mistakes on their form pages. And that costs visitors. On a form page that's extra painful because if you lose a visitor there, you loose a very valuable visitor. A visitor who's willing to make the effort to get in touch with you or perhaps even to order something. A visitor who fills out a form (or tries to) is a visitor you should cherish. Here's a few tips. 1. Use the language of the form If the form is in English, the error messages should be in English. Sounds self-evident, I know. And on single-language websites this usually isn't a problem. But on multi-language websites it often is. Error messages are often overlooked in the translation process. Make sure they aren't on your website. 2. Use understandable language Don't use code or words only programmers know the meaning of like "Customerrelation_gender_error" or "FieldT12empty". That's pretty much all I'm going to say about that one. 3. Be nice How hard is it to just be nice? The person filling out your form is a potential customer. If he forgets to fill out a field, say so nicely. 4. Be specific General error messages like "Fill out all the required fields" are an excellent way to scare off potential customers. An error message like "Invalid credit card" isn't exactly helpful either. Give the user more details about what went wrong and what he can do to fix it: "There was an error processing your credit card. Please check your name, credit card number, and card expiration date for correctness. Remember, these must match the card exactly.". The more specific your error message is, the easier it is for the user to fix the problem. 5. Don't blame the user If the user has made a mistake while filling out your form it's not a good idea to rub his nose in it. Don't tell the user what he did wrong. Tell him what he should do to get it right. Don't write: You forgot to fill out your email address. But write: Please fill out your email address. 6. Avoid spelling errors Check the spelling of your error messages. Error messages are hidden away and often