Good Error Messages Examples
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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 try if the homepage for the new product works fine on Windows 10. No friendly error messages examples problem, you think, your trusty Mac laptop has software installed that allows you to error message examples text run Windows.You fire up the software, and when Windows politely asks you to update with several intrusive notifications, you say, sure,
Error Messages Ux
go ahead.And then you see this.Something 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
Error Messages Best Practices
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 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 error message text 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 the designers anymore), they do have some good things to say.Here’s what the OS X Human Interface Guidelines tell you about alerts:Write an alert message that describes the alert situation clearly and succinctly. An alert message such as “An error occurred” is mystifying to all users and is likely to annoy experienced users. (…) Write informative text that elaborates on the consequences and suggests a solution or alternative. Give as much information as necessary to explain why the user should care about the situation. (
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Good Error Message Text
more about hiring developers or posting ads with us User Experience Questions Tags Users Badges error message text prank Unanswered Ask Question _ User Experience Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for user experience researchers and experts. Join them; it error message guidelines only takes a minute: Sign up Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question Anybody can answer The best answers are voted up and rise to the top What is the recommended wording for a generic https://medium.com/@thomasfuchs/how-to-write-an-error-message-883718173322 error message up vote 36 down vote favorite 19 What would be the best wording for a generic error message? With generic error message I mean a message for an error that has occured but there are no details on what the error is or how to recover from it. It will be used exclusively as a fallback solution when it is not possible to determine the error either because the server did not sent any http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/39101/what-is-the-recommended-wording-for-a-generic-error-message additional details or there is a "probable" timeout... and other similar edge cases. It should be aimed to minimize the amount of frustration/anger. I've read a few threads but none of them seems to be 100% relevant Recommendations for good resources on writing good error messages Standardized (web) application error messages? [closed] This is actually a very close match but error reports are out of scope in my case What will be the Best notifications and error messages? Error Message Advice (for asynchronous/background tasks) Generic/vague error messages to pass to spammy users? copywriting error-message wording share|improve this question edited May 4 '13 at 13:32 JohnGB♦ 57.7k19154265 asked May 3 '13 at 15:11 Toni Toni Chopper 8821718 An unexpected error occurred... –Justin Meiners May 4 '13 at 0:07 add a comment| 9 Answers 9 active oldest votes up vote 39 down vote accepted A good error message should: Let you know what the problem is. Make you feel like there is something that you can do about it. Speak like a human, and be a consistent extension of the personality of the rest of the application. For generic error messages, you can't do much about the first point, but you can do something about the other two. Do something that lets the user know that the problem isn't being ignored. Let them take some actio
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 http://freshsparks.com/user-experience-tips-best-error-messages/ 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 message 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 error message text 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 tasteful humor is a bonus when it happens. Piccsy uses unique and humorous illustration, coupled with a humble message when the website gives an error.Hey there…enjoying this bl