Track · 2:31 · Liner note

Even Errors Speak Kindly

A good error message says what went wrong, why it probably happened and what the user can do next, in plain language, instead of exposing an internal code.

Something failed, and the person reading knows nothing about your stack. Even Errors Speak Kindly is the case for error messages that say what happened, why it probably happened and what to try next, in words a user would use. A raw stack trace is an honest message, but it is addressed to the wrong reader.

Keep the technical detail available behind a reference code so support can find it. Test messages by showing them to someone outside the team. If they cannot name the next step, the message is unfinished.