Errors are a high-stakes moment: the user was trying to do something and failed. A clear message that explains the problem and the fix keeps people moving, while a vague one makes them leave.
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What good ones do
- Say what went wrong in plain words
- Say how to fix it
- Appear next to the field concerned
- Keep the user's input so they don't start over
- Don't blame the user
Design for accessibility
Don't rely on colour alone, and make sure screen readers announce the error and tie it to the field.
Common mistakes
Generic messages like Invalid input
Tell people which input and what format is expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Tracking validation errors shows where forms fail most often.
Keep reading
- Form abandonment: Form abandonment is when visitors start a form and leave before submitting it.
- Form Optimization: Form optimization is improving web forms so more visitors complete them accurately, by cutting fields, clarifying labels and fixing validation and layout.
- Microcopy: Microcopy is the small text in an interface, such as button labels, form hints, error messages and tooltips, that guides users through each step.
- Web Accessibility: Web accessibility means building sites that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate and use, including with assistive technology.
- A/B Testing: A/B testing compares two versions of a page or element by randomly splitting visitors between them and measuring which performs better on a chosen goal.
- Call to Action: A call to action is the prompt, usually a button or link, that tells a visitor what to do next, such as start a trial, book a demo or read more.
- Color Contrast: Color contrast is the difference in luminance between text or controls and their background, measured as a ratio that WCAG sets minimums for.
- Conversion Rate Optimization: Conversion rate optimization is the practice of raising the share of visitors who take a chosen action, using research, page changes and controlled tests.
