How can you improve your website's error messages with UED testing?

1 What is UED testing?

UED testing is a method of assessing how well your website meets the needs and expectations of your users. It involves collecting feedback from real or potential users through various techniques, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or tasks. UED testing can help you identify and fix usability problems, such as broken links, confusing navigation, or unclear instructions. It can also help you enhance your website's aesthetics, functionality, and emotional appeal.

2 Why test your error messages?

Error messages are an important part of your website's communication with your users. If they are vague, technical, or rude, they can frustrate, confuse, or annoy your users and damage your website's credibility, trust, and retention. To prevent these negative outcomes and improve your user experience, you should test your error messages. Testing your error messages can help you ensure accuracy, relevance, and consistency; provide clear guidance on how to resolve the error; use friendly language that matches your brand voice; avoid jargon, abbreviations, or codes that may be unfamiliar to users; and if appropriate, add some humor, empathy, or personality.

3 How to test your error messages?

Testing your error messages can be done in various ways, depending on your goals, resources, and time. For example, you can conduct user testing by asking real or potential users to perform tasks on your website and observe their reaction to your error messages. You can also hire a professional or team of experts to evaluate your error messages according to best practices and standards. Additionally, you can create multiple versions of your error messages and compare how they perform in terms of user behavior, satisfaction, or conversion. Tools like UsabilityHub, UserTesting, UserZoom, UserSnap, BugHerd, Balsamiq, Optimizely, VWO, and Google Optimize are helpful for these methods.

4 What to test in your error messages?

When testing your error messages, you should focus on four main aspects: content, design, tone, and context. Ask yourself or your testers questions to evaluate these aspects. For example, does the error message explain what caused the error and how to fix it? Is the information accurate, relevant, and complete? Does the design stand out from the rest of the page and attract attention? Is the tone friendly, respectful, and polite? Is the context suitable for the situation and user's goal? Does it offer alternative solutions or actions? Make sure to consider all of these factors when testing your error messages.