Error Message Writing

Error Message Formula

What happened + Why (if helpful) + What to do

Good Examples

• "File too large. Maximum size is 10MB. Compress the image or choose a smaller file."
• "That email is already registered. Try signing in instead."
• "Connection lost. Your changes are saved locally and will sync when you're back online."

Bad Examples

• "Error" — says nothing.
• "Invalid input" — which input? What's invalid?
• "Something went wrong. Please try again later." — when is later?
• "Error code 0x8004005" — meaningless to users.