An error should make it obvious how to fix the problem @runarorama

Errors are frustating. In the tech culture, the errors are everywhere all time.

When you design a error situation, think how the user feels under this context. A good error message should be:

• Say what happened and why.
• Suggest a next step.
• Find the right tone.

At the end of the day, errors are part of the product and the business culture for communicating something was wrong.

Try Undos instead of prompting for confirmation.

Threy are not only for final user app: We need to communicate good errors message in all your developments layers.

Think in the user experience behind read a developer that looks like:

The raw error output looks difficult to read.

Compare with see the same error with the correct identation and well printed:

pretty-errors help you output good error presentations.

Print good errors is important. Presentation is important. Human eye match is important!

svr printing minimal errors, using color and icons to have a visual impact.

Try to communicate what and why is happening with the less information possible, removing the unnecessary information for the current user abstraction layer.

At microlink.io we always suggest a point to get more information.

Always try to provide a point to get more information, making possible extend the context, specially if you are creating collaborative software.

Libraries

• whoops – It makes simple throw qualified errors.
• clean-stack – Clean up error stack traces.
• pretty-error – It prints pretty errors, ideal for CLI tools.
• err-sh – Microservice that forwards you to error messages.

Bibliography

• Say Hello to Error Hyperlinks.
• The art of the error message.
• GoodUI, Good User Interfaces for higher conversion rates and ease of use.
• Alert / Error Messages by Marcelo Graciolli.
• How to Write Good Error Messages