Daily UX Writing Challenge: Day 12
The system doesn’t recognize the user’s full name.
Scenario: A user is creating an account. When they come to the step where they are asked to enter their name, they get an error message. A fraud detection software thinks their name is fake — but it’s wrong 5% of the time.
Challenge: Write an error message that prompts them to fix the error without shaming them for having a fake-sounding name.
45 characters max
I think this one is the toughest for me so far. After reading the responses of those who have made the challenge, there are many conflicting views. Some members whose names rarely exists said, if the copy has the words “unique” or “special”, they feel it’s passive aggressive and they would hesitate to create an account. However, there are also people who think that the user must know what the problem is so that they can decide what to do next.
From this consideration, I thought it might be better to “hide the problem” and direct them to customer service if they want to register their email and they can also verify their name if they want. However, if they are in a hurry and need to create an account immediately, they can continue with their Google account or social medias.
I also made some alternative copies that used the word ‘unique’ for the sake of informing what’s wrong and hopefully it didn’t soundoffensive, but the user has to verify their name before continuing to create an account.
UI-wise, for this one I heavily referenced Pinterest ‘create account’ page, I hope it’s understandable enough to navigate.
I didn’t get any more feedback after this, but if anyone has it, feel free to drop it in the comment below, I would really appreciate it!
Thank you very much in advance!
