GuerillaBox Error Messages
Situation: A variety of error messages I created in my UX Writing Academy class, broken into four occurrences.
Voice & Tone:
- Conversational, knowledgeable, and compassionate
- Dry humor, when appropriate
Occurrence 1: Invalid username.
Approach:
- I wanted to be a clear as possible while also not adding too much clutter.
- I also really like when microcopy is able to do double-duty, so I went for a simple solution that reused the existing microcopy.
Solution:
- A simple prompt at the top of the field clearly states its purpose
- Transparent text within the field further shows the type of username – may be overkill
- Clear microcopy gives the parameters
- When a user includes a figure not permitted, the existing microcopy under the field changes color
Occurrence 2: Username already taken alert.
Approach:
- I wanted to find a way to include humor in some way.
- From my own experience, I know how hard a good username can be – I wanted to acknowledge that effort in some way.
Solution:
- Using red to indicate an error and a touch of humor, this microcopy clearly alerts the user that the choice they’ve made is already taken.
Occurrence 3: Invalid email address and email address already taken.
Approach:
- I just wanted to be as clear as possible.
- For the second message, I thought it was important to make it as easy as possible to transition to the appropriate login screen.
Solution:
- A simple prompt at the top of the field explains what to do.
- Transparent text inside the field further explains and displays the correct format.
- First example: red text explains the error.
- Second example: red text again explains the error, and additional text and a link invite the user to try a different approach.
Occurrence 4: Invalid password.
Approach:
- Like the first occurrence, I wanted things to be as clear, straightforward, and uncluttered as possible.
- I also wanted to reuse existing microcopy if possible.
Solution:
- A straightforward prompt for what to do in this field.
- A transparent example that also illustrates what elements the password should contain.
- Microcopy that reinforces the parameters.
- When a user includes a figure not permitted – or doesn’t meet the requirements – the existing microcopy under the field changes color.
