Errors and Warnings

Follow these rules to create good error messages.

Do not write:	Replace with:
`Error`	`The system is not responding. Refresh your page to try again.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`System error`	`We're sorry. The system is currently unavailable.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`Your order cannot be processed.`	`We cannot process your order. This item is currently out of stock.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`Login failed`	`The password you entered is not correct. Please try again.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`Sorry`	`The server is currently unavailable. Please try again later.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`Request error: Password was not validated - min character groups of 3 not fulfilled.`	`Your password must contain lower and upper case characters and a special character.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`Image exceeds size requirements`	`This image is too big. Select an image that is smaller than 300 x 300 px.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`Your request has not been completed.` `Discard this request?` `[Cancel] [Continue]`	`You haven't completed your request.` `Do you want to discard this request?` `[Discard Request] [Complete Request]`

Do not write:	Replace with:
The email address you entered does not match the required format. Please enter your email using the standard format.	Please enter your email address in the format yourname@example.com.

Do not write:	Replace with:
`You didn't enter a name.`	`Please enter your name.`

Do not write:	Replace with:
`OOPS something went wrong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯`	`Your request didn't work. Please contact us so we can fix this issue as soon as possible.`

Learn more

Follow these links to learn more about creating effective error and warning messages.