Error Message Guidelines
6 Tips to write effective error messages
Good and bad user experience often lies in the details. Writing clear error messages can reduce frustration and help people continue using your app or service. It’s worth it to give these users some love.
Keep these tips in mind next time when you’re writing an error message
1. Say what happened and why
User should be able to understand the problem while reading an error message. If the error message is not clear and the user is not able to find the reason for the message, then it is of no use. User cannot do anything to fix the problem and it badly impacts the experience of the product.
2. Suggest the next step
Whenever an error occurs, the user wants to fix it as soon as possible. The error message should have enough information for the user that guides him on how to get out of the erroneous situation.
3. Find the right tone
When you’re writing an error message, choose the tone that best fits the audience and context.
- If it’s a stressful or serious issue, a silly tone would be inappropriate.
- Reading the message out loud can help you pinpoint words or phrases you need to revise.
4. Don’t blame the user be humble
Convey the issues gracefully to its user without blaming him for his actions. The user can perform an incorrect action again and again. But the design’s responsibility is to inform him about his mistakes in a good way.
“A good way to incorporate 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.” — Sonia Gregory
5. Human-readable
Use simple and plain language without referring to implementation details. If a message contains technical terms or technical language, the user gets confused. Most of the users are not interested in the technical details of the problem occurred.
6. Avoid Uppercase Text
An error message is a place where the user is informed about some critical scenario, so using upper case text can give him a feeling of discouragement. also, the uppercase text is difficult to read it gives an impact of shouting on the user.
“The best error message is the one that never shows up” — Thomas Fuchs
Since we live in a world of humans, it is not possible to make everything perfect. However, by following standard rules and guidelines, the errors can be handled in a helping way instead of scolding the user for his mistakes.
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