Make warnings as specific as possible so that the user understands them. For example, rather than ‘1 error found’, use ‘There is already an account with this email’. More than anything else, it's important that your error message does not blame the user. It's also important not to overwhelm them with information that they do not understand.
There are two general types of errors, field validation and system:
- Field validation errors appear when a user enters information in a form field but it is formatted incorrectly (or it is blank).
- System errors appear when the entire application is having trouble, like when a website is down or a user’s data is missing through no fault of their own.
System errors are sometimes called system alerts. When creating copy for error text, you must do two things:
- Say what happened.
- Say how to fix it or what to do next.
Errors and alerts should never:
- Call out the user for making mistakes: “You entered the wrong password” sounds accusatory. Instead, say something diplomatic like “We don’t recognise that password.”
- Cause insecurity, worry, or panic: “Wrong password!” is too strong with the word ‘wrong’ and the exclamation mark. Instead, just state the facts in a friendly way.
- Make jokes to put the user at ease: User testing shows this only causes annoyance because users don’t find errors or mistakes to be a time for humour.
In the example above, while the text seems ok, the use of a red exclamation mark is too severe. The severity level denotes the seriousness and urgency of the error:
- Green is reserved for success messages, which of course means there is actually no error. If the message is not important to their task at hand or does not require immediate attention, then make sure the user can dismiss the message.
- Blue is used for informational messages like tips, hints or for raising awareness.
- Yellow or orange are used to warn users that something of consequence might happen or get worse at a later time.
- Red indicates a system-level error that makes it impossible for a user to continue or has critical consequences like the loss of important data. These errors have the highest severity.
When writing text for serious errors, use language that’s constructive, empathetic, and helpful. Avoid causing undue alarm or panic. Briefly state what happened and explain what to do next.