Write errors as recovery instructions
State what went wrong and the next valid action in calm, specific language without blaming the shopper.
Write every error as a recovery instruction: identify the affected field or action, state the problem in language the shopper can understand, and give the next valid step. Calm and literal beats clever, apologetic, or accusatory.
Tone cannot repair a system that loses data or offers no recovery. It can prevent the system from adding a second problem. W3C guidance says form notifications should be concise and clear, and that errors should be easy to understand and provide simple correction instructions.[1]
The rest of this lesson is available once the Atlas is unlocked.