Foundations · Content · Messages
Error Message
Error messages describe what failed, why it matters to the user, and how to recover. Be direct, blameless, and specific—avoid generic “Something went wrong” unless nothing else is known.
Writing guidelines
- Title: short outcome (“Couldn’t save changes”).
- Body: cause if known, plus one or two recovery steps.
- Preserve user input; say if work is still on the page.
- Use present tense for ongoing issues; past tense when an action clearly finished.
Example
Couldn’t save development plan
Check your connection and try again. Your edits are still on this page.
Do / Don’t
Do
We can’t load this profile. Refresh the page or contact your admin if it keeps happening.
Don’t
Error 500. An unexpected error occurred.