What would be the best wording for a generic error message?
With generic error message I mean a message for an error that has occured but there are no details on what the error is or how to recover from it.
It will be used exclusively as a fallback solution when it is not possible to determine the error either because the server did not sent any additional details or there is a "probable" timeout... and other similar edge cases.
It should be aimed to minimize the amount of frustration/anger.
I've read a few threads but none of them seems to be 100% relevant
Answer
A good error message should:
- Let you know what the problem is.
- Make you feel like there is something that you can do about it.
- Speak like a human, and be a consistent extension of the personality of the rest of the application.
For generic error messages, you can't do much about the first point, but you can do something about the other two.
Do something that lets the user know that the problem isn't being ignored. Let them take some action such as submit the logs or send an error report. Alternatively let them know that automatic action has already been taken and that your technical staff have automatically been notified that this error occurred and are working on it.
Then in how you tell them, you should express the message in human speak and keep the tone consistent with the rest of the site (which should be appropriate for your audience). If your site is playful, use a playful error message. If it is a medical service, make it completely professional.
So examples are:
Oops! Something went wrong!
Help us improve your experience by sending an error report
or
The application has encountered an unknown error.
It doesn't appear to have affected your data, but our technical staff have been automatically notified and will be looking into this with the utmost urgency.
or
Damn gerbils have stopped running again! Someone has been dispatched to poke them with a sharp stick.
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