Error and information messages are the helpful guides
New users usually dare to venture out on a product’s journey without reading the onboarding message, online help, or any assistance.
Error messages and information messages should be like the best friends of users, who always understand, emphasize, and encourage users to use a product successfully. These messages must understand the users, their problems, helplessness, without judging or criticizing the users.
Let us see some interesting UX messages:
Problem
Dropbox has uninteresting and uncertain messages which do not build trust because, the messages talk about possibilities and not certainty.
They were not helpful to the user.
For example, a user deletes an item and now wants to find a deleted item. Dropbox shows a message:
"You might be able to find it in your deleted files. If it's not there, try asking the person who shared it with you."
Goals
Make the Dropbox's error messages really helpful, trustworthy, certain, clear, and interesting.
Solutions
I recreated this error message in a conversational style using animated cartoon characters and also gamified it.
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Original error messsage
Original error messages on Dropbox is clear, straight forward, helpful and provides a clear solution.
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Error message in conversational style
Two animated characters speak to each other in an interesting manner.
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Self-talk style #2
Error message in self-talk style.
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Self-talk style #3
Error message in self-talk style.
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Self-talk style #4
Error message in self-talk style. Instructions to improve the message:
Include a cartoon character of a lovely real life matching persona, who actually use this product.
The cartoon characters will definitely help in increasing customer engagement and help in easing pressure situations. -
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Self-talk style #5
Two personas taking to each other in question and answer style.
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Self-talk style #6
Gamification of actions taken on the error messages is also an interesting idea.
Suggestions to gamify your UX messages:
The software can provide a third option to a user to throw a dice and then select either option 1 or option 2. Users who want to feel refreshed by connecting with the cartoon characters, they are free to do so if they are bored with a very complex and highly technical software.
The user should be able to click on option 1 and 2 icons directly. If the user clicks option 1, the software should open and show the Deleted files folder. If the user clicks option 2, the software should show the user ID or email ID of the folder uploader.
A LinkedIn web page is not available at the moment due to internet connectivity issues.
The original error message does not provide any solution, it asks the user to close the LinkedIn app. It describes the message from the perspective of a developer.
However, the updated error message provides clarity and even a solution.
