Design & UXBeginner 1 to 2 hours

Rewrite Error Messages

Rewrite 10 technical error messages into user-friendly, actionable copy.

The Scenario

A banking app shows error messages like "Error 403: Unauthorized," "Transaction failed: timeout exception," and "Invalid input: field cannot be null." Users call the support centre in a panic.

The Brief

Rewrite 10 technical error messages into plain language that tells users (1) what happened, (2) why it happened, and (3) what to do next.

Deliverables

  • A table of 10 errors: Original Technical Message → Rewritten User-Friendly Message → Rationale
  • Three tone principles for error messages at this company (e.g., "be honest, not alarming")
  • One error where the best UX is to prevent it entirely rather than show a message, with your prevention design

Submission Guidance

"Something went wrong" is not a good error message either. It tells the user nothing. Good errors are specific: "Your payment could not be processed. Your card was not charged. Try again or use a different card."

Submit Your Work

Your submission is graded against the rubric on the right. If you pass, you get a public Badge URL you can share on LinkedIn. There is no draft save, so work offline first and paste your finished response here.

This appears on your public Badge.

0/20000 charactersMarkdown supported

One per line or comma separated. Up to 5 links.

By submitting, you agree your submission text, name, and evaluation will appear on a public Badge URL.