How to get users to read error messages?

Question

If you program for a nontechnical audience, you find yourself at a high risk that users will not read your carefully worded and enlightening error messages, but just click o

Answer 1

To start, write error messages that users can actually understand. "Error: 1023" is not good example. I think better way is logging the error, than showing it to the user with some "fancy" code. Or if logging is not possible, give the users proper way to send the error details to the support department.

Also, be short and clear enough. Do not include some technical details. Do not show them information that they cannot use. If possible provide a workaround for the error. If not provide a default route, that should be taken.

If your application is a web app, designing custom error pages is a good idea. They stress users less, take SO for example. You can get some ideas how to design a good error page here: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/07/25/wanted-your-404-error-pages/

Answer 2

In my opinion and experience, it's the power users, who do not read error messages. The nontechnical audience I know reads every message on the screen most carefully and the problem at this point mostly is: They don't understand it.

This point may be the cause of your experience, because at some point they will stop reading them, because "they don't understand it anyway", so your task is easy:

Make the error message as easy to understand as possible and keep the technical part under the hood.

For example I transfer a message like this:

ORA-00237: snapshot operation disallowed: control file newly created Cause: An attempt to invoke cfileMakeAndUseSnapshot with a currently mounted control file that was newly created with CREATE CONTROLFILE was made. Action: Mount a current control file and retry the operation.

to something like:

This step could not be processed due to momentary problems with the database. Please contact (your admin|the helpdesk|anyone who can contact the developer or admin to solve the problem). Sorry for the inconvenience.