Point (4) should be that errors are consistent across the application. Users hate reading errors, so they need to be able to easily parse the message and extract the 'how to fix' info as easily as possible. While any one of these messages meets Mosh's 3 requirements, taken together they aren't too hot.
"Please provide a valid phone numer" "The address you provided isn't valid" "You must use a valid email address" --- Barney Boisvert, Senior Development Engineer AudienceCentral [EMAIL PROTECTED] voice : 360.756.8080 x12 fax : 360.647.5351 www.audiencecentral.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Mosh Teitelbaum [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 9:49 AM > To: CF-Talk > Subject: RE: Usability > > > Actually, I hadn't meant it as tongue in cheek 8^). > > Error messages don't need to be "sexy" or anything, unless you're > tying them > into the style of the rest of your site. As an example (and this isn't > really an error message, but...) Amazon.com recently began letting users > earn "nickels" of credit by answering questions about Amazon. Great idea > for getting users to learn more about Amazon, especially since > they tend to > provide a link to where you can find the correct answer. The problem is, > the message Amazon shows when you answer a question. Amazon is > *NOT* a hip > and edgy site but their answers tend to be along the lines of: > > Far Out Dude! > You're right, Amazon does have 3,645,786 brands of men's underwear. > > or > > Oh, Bogus! > You're wrong, ... > > I realize Amazon is trying to form a friendlier relationship (I guess) but > Amazon doesn't seem to me to be the kind of site that would call > me "Dude." > > Anyway, the point really is that the main purposes of an error message are > to (1) inform the user that there is an error, (2) explain what the error > is, and (3) explain how to correct the error. The > not-tongue-in-cheek error > message I suggested earlier ("Foo must be a valid, non-negative number > without fractions or decimals.") addresses points 2 & 3. Presumably it > would begin with something like "One or more errors have been > found..." etc. > to address the 1st point. > > -- > Mosh Teitelbaum > evoch, LLC > Tel: (301) 942-5378 > Fax: (301) 933-3651 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > WWW: http://www.evoch.com/ > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Kreig Zimmerman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 1:18 AM > > To: CF-Talk > > Subject: RE: Usability > > > > > > No man... > > > > > > > > ...it's because the way I read that other poster, his > > hyper-correct error message was intended as tongue-in-cheek. > > > > > > > > Don't get yer knickers in a twist... > > > > > > > > --- On Thu 07/10, Chunshen (Don) Li < [EMAIL PROTECTED] > wrote: > > > > From: Chunshen (Don) Li [mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > >Quod Erat Demonstratum<br>From the "tum" ending of the word, > > Demonstratum, I know it's Latin, but I don't know > > Latin.<br><br>Kreig Zimmerman, bastard, insulted me for what, not > > knowing Latin? > > > > _______________________________________________ > > No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. > > Introducing My Way - http://www.myway.com > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=4 FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Signup for the Fusion Authority news alert and keep up with the latest news in ColdFusion and related topics. http://www.fusionauthority.com/signup.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4
