*plays Amapiano by Asake ft Olamide to set the mood* It’s Day 10 and you can tell how proud of myself I am. Just five days more? Amazing. *also plays Heated by Beyonce for more vim* Let’s go.
Scenario: The user is trying to rent a car using an application, but the credit card on file has expired.
Challenge: Write them an error message so that they can correct the problem.
Headline: 30 characters
Body: 45 characters
I have a story to tell about discovering UX writing. I used to think all I had to do was write error messages and call it a day. I was so in love with chasing down error 404 pages and digesting everything because I was so fascinated that someone came up with clever things like that. Beginner Sewa is doing cartwheels right now.
A good error message has three parts: problem identification, cause details if helpful, and a solution if possible. Whenever an error occurs, user wants to fix it as soon as possible.
— UX Planet
Problem Identification
This user is trying to rent a car; they have completed all the necessary steps, and it is time to pay and get the car, but something is wrong. Nobody knows what is going on, but it is the expired credit card.
Cause Details
The root cause here is a lack of awareness. If the company that issued the credit card had sent timely reminders for an upgrade while also listing the services they’ve been subscribed to, that might end up being stalled. To prevent future disappointments, they would have been encouraged to do the needful.
Solution
An error message that doesn’t blame the user, is short, specific, meaningful, and helpful; it states the problem and tells the user what the next step is.
Credit card has expired.
Update credit card details or add a new card.
