Good Application Error Messages
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on our websites. And they happen in real life. Sometimes it’s because we made a mistake. Or maybe a system failed. Maybe it really was the user’s fault. Whatever the cause, these errors—and how they are
User Friendly Error Messages Examples
communicated—can have a huge impact on the way someone experiences your website or app. Often overlooked, error message examples text an ill-constructed error message can fill users with frustration, and send them packing. A well-crafted error message, on the other hand, can work wonders. error messages ux It can turn a moment of frustration (abandonment) into a moment of delight (and ideally, conversion). Every error, regardless of who is to blame, becomes a point of friction for your users. Well-written error messages can help reduce that
Error Messages Best Practices
friction. As UX designers, we like to reduce friction. So let’s get on with it. Introducing the 4 H’s So how do we write, or rewrite, our error messages to keep our users on track? It’s not that difficult, really. We just need to consider the 4 H’s of writing error messages. Error messages need to be: Human Helpful Humorous Humble Let’s look at these more closely. 1. Human The number one rule is to make sure your error
Good Error Message Text
messages sound like they’ve been written for humans. There’s nothing more frustrating than an error like this one. It sounds like it has been written by a robot. For a robot. Put your customer service hat on—think of your error message as a conversation with your user. Make sure it’s polite, understandable, friendly and jargon-free. The Firefox error message is a better example. Think about your audience. How would you explain the error to them, in human speak? Write those words down. That’s your error message, right there. 2. Helpful OK, so your error message is readable. But is it helpful? The rules to crafting helpful error messages are fairly straightforward. Ask yourself: Is it visible? There’s no point displaying an error message if the user doesn’t even see it. Think about the message size, colour and location of your error messages. Make them prominent. Does it explain clearly what went wrong? Your error message needs to explain the problem as clearly as possible. And it needs to be specific. A vague error message that says, “An unexpected system error has occurred” is just lazy programming. It’s of no use to anyone. And most importantly ... Does it help the user recover? What do they need to do next? How can they get back to what they were doing, as fast as possible? 3. Humorous A short sprinkling of humour is often a
MessageI read this article and found it very interesting, thought it might be something for you. The article is called 10 Tips on error message list Writing Hero-worthy Error Messages and is located at http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/10-tips-on-writing-hero-worthy-error-messages.CaptchaSubmit"Doh! %&^%&^%&!" Another
Error Message Guidelines
forehead-smack-worthy curse-laden moment: I've filled out a lengthy online form and hit the submit button only to error message text prank find myself staring back at an empty form peppered with red errors. Has this happened to you? Of course it has. While considering how much I really http://uxmas.com/2012/the-4-hs-of-writing-error-messages need to complete this form, I start making notes on how I'd design it to be a better experience. Seriously, how many date formats am I going to have to try before I get this sucker right? Do I need to phone a friend? The lack of strong error messaging is a regular issue I http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/10-tips-on-writing-hero-worthy-error-messages encounter as both a user and UX designer. As the bearer of bad news to users, error messaging can be the element that determines whether your app gets a "Sale" or "FAIL." Editor's Note: We'll be covering UX tips and strategies at The Future of Web Design NYC on Nov 16th - 17th. 1. Error messaging is customer support Error messaging is a critical component of customer support. Customer support teams are experts at talking to and coaching users towards conversion and success. While QA hustles to break it down, customer support can work side-by-side to craft sensible messaging around those scenarios. The result? More sales, fewer customer calls and complaints. Some mistakes (e.g. date formats, passwords, emails, forgotten fields) are both predictable and recurring mistakes that cannot be prevented by better design. Design the outcome to encourage the user to engage with the app's voice, correct her mistakes, and move onwards. 2. No one ever died of humility While it can be te
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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 way, errors are a big point of frustration for web users-we don’t like them and they can cause us to bounce away from our intended path. Creating great website error messaging is often overlooked, 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 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 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 imag