Meryl's Notes Blog

I’ve been struggling with an XML-RPC problem and the error messages I get don’t tell me anything. Enter The Cranky User: Could you repeat that in English?

Frequently, error messages are totally uninformative — or, worse, just plain wrong. Here, we look at how meaningful error messages can make it easier for users to correct problems without having to rely on technical support, and how poorly chosen messages can turn users into ex-users.

Heck, having clear error messages may save tech support extra work because some users are intelligent enough to resolve the problem on their own. [Link Webword]

<edit>Steven debates my statement in a well-written entry. I’m looking at the big picture, not just in an office using customized software.

I asked a Technical Support Manager for his feedback and here is what he said:

I agree with both of you actually. While I agree with Meryl that informative error messages would be great for those few of us that can figure out the problem on our own.

The natural instinct of the normal lay person is to pick up the phone and call Tech Support. I think this would be most helpful with programs that are only used by people with advanced computer knowledge (like some of those you have for graphics). But, in other programs for the masses, it would be a waste of time (like MS Word) because 99.9% of the people that use Word just know to "click here."</edit>