To the computer user’s action should include a simple apologetic Mitigate frustration and anger when attempted interactionsįail.Similarly, Nielsen (1998) argues that error messages responding Schlenker andDarby, 1981) or to alleviate individuals’ anger causedįrom their disapproval of others’ action.In other words, apologies In HHI, apologies are generally used to express regret (Leech, 1983 The Effect of Apologetic Error Messages and Mood States on Computer Users’ Self-appraisal of Performance for a study which analyzed the impact of using apologetic error messages on user mood states and how human-like apologetic tones are effective in computer interfaces. Put the blame on yourself, not on the user. Give the user a hint of how the problem can be solved. Translates to “does not work together” in plain English.Ĭlearly identify the error so the user knows what to correct. Writing error messages that carry a positive tone isn’t rocketįirst, get rid of tech lingo such as “incompatible.” Most users won’t know what this means. The article emphasizes that error messages should carry a positive tone and hence an apologetic response can help users quickly recover and not immediately become defensive about a mistake they might have made. Swing the experience around from an almost certain abandonment to a I also recommend looking at this excellent article, Are You Saying “No” When You Could Be Saying “Yes” in Your Web Forms?:Įrror messages seem like an unimportant and incredibly boring part ofĬrafting a user experience. In the tone of voice you would use if you were telling the error “You’re going to display your error message to a person, so write it The reason I believe it is important to have an apologetic tone is to ensure you are communicating to the user that, though a mistake has been made and he is interacting with a machine or application in this case, you still respect his action and are humanizing the mistake.
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