error messaging for fun and profit
TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected]).• 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.
