Communicate errors properly
- Published on
Ok may be the tilte is a bit dramatic for what I'm about to write.
When building a product for users regardless of the platfrom it's own, always consider writing good error messages. This might sound obvious, but the truth of the matter is, most people actually don't attach enough importance to it.
Yes I agree, errors can be quite unpleasant when they occur, but what's more upsetting is not knowing exactly what went wrong. To give you an example, I once used a platform where my email was incorrect yet the error message read
// Too generic and confusing
An error occured while logging in
Huh?! So what is the error? Was there a network problem? Does it have to do with my password being incorrect? Is it a server problem? Has that account being blocked????
The possibilities are a lot depending on which platform it is. So I feel the list the designers and developers should do is write really clear and actionable error messages so that the user not only understands what is wrong but also how to solve the problem.
// Clear and actionable
Login failed due to network issues. Please check your connection and try again
Guys! Chatgpt is here. Don't be afraid to use it!
Cheers!