error messaging for fun and profit

Captured by Paul Shermanhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/paulsherman/

Error Messaging for Fun and Profit

(Possibly just profit)

Captured by Paul Shermanhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/paulsherman/

What’s a good error message?

• Avoiding the awkward conversation

Captured by Paul Shermanhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/paulsherman/

Why are bad error messages so bad?

• They waste users’ time.• They make users feel ashamed. • They make users angry.• They turn your users into someone else’s

users. • They show up in peoples’ presentations on

bad error messaging. With your logo.

How do you write a good error message?

Be Kind

Be Clear

Be Prescriptive

Some examples to think about

• Please enter a ten-digit telephone number.• Please enter a valid email address

(like billg@microsoft.com).• We’re sorry, we didn’t recognize that credit

card number. Please check it and try again.

The Best Error Message of All

In summary:

Design error-free forms.

When you can’t, be:Kind.Clear.Prescriptive.

Questions?

Feel free to holler anytime:Abigail Plumb-Larrickabigail@plumbinformation.com@plumbinfo