How Do You Get Users To Read Error Messages?

A BOFH writes "The longer I do desktop support, the more it becomes obvious that my users don't read anything that appears on their screen. Instead, they memorize a series of buttons to press to get whatever result they want and if anything unexpected happens, they're completely lost. Error logs help a lot, but they have their limits. I've been toying with a few ideas, but I don't know if any of them will work and I was hoping my fellow Slashdotters could point me in the right direction. For example, I was thinking about creating icons or logos to identify specific errors. They might not remember that an error is about 'uninitialized data' but they might be more able to remember that they got the 'puppy error' if I showed a puppy picture next to the error message. Or for times when finding images is too time consuming, you could create simple logos from letters, numbers, symbols, colors, or shapes, so you could have the 'red 5' error or 'blue square' error (or any combination of those elements). I've even wondered if it would be possible to expand that to cover the other senses, for example, playing a unique sound with the error. Unfortunately, haptic and olfactory feedback aren't readily available. I like to think that my users would remember the error that caused them to get a swift kick in the balls. And if they forgot it anyhow, I could always help them reproduce it. Does anyone else have experience with ideas like these? Did it work?"

Electric Shock

[bytethese]

Using Bluetooth to activate a transmitter in the seats of our users, we've had a 671% increase in efficiency when helping our users due to increased "awareness" of error messages.

Make it turn the volume up

[mikesd81]

and let out a big screech followed by the sound of glass breaking and it saying "Danger Will Robinson! Danger!"

Automation

[truthsearch]

they memorize a series of buttons to press to get whatever result they want and if anything unexpected happens, they're completely lost.

Sounds like their jobs are easily automated. Tell them if they don't pay closer attention to error messages you'll inform their boss how to replace them with another computer program. ;)

careful

[JayRott]

I do like the ball-kicking error idea, but be careful which one you use. Windows can be testy and the last thing you need unprovoked genital damage when you are trying to fix a workstation.

Re:Electric Shock

[zach_the_lizard]

We attempted that in our own organization, but the fact that no one read any error messages didn't change. All that did change was that we now had a large mass of grown adults who wet themselves. What we did find effective was sending the individuals to a kindergarten, where they would be taught how to read. Electroshock treatment continued, however, as a means to address the stress of the help desk personnel.

Make others remember

[cerberusss]

I've even wondered if it would be possible to expand that to cover the other senses, for example, playing a unique sound with the error

You're going about this the wrong way. You don't make the user remember, you make their colleagues remember. Supply your users with a 5.1 sound system attached to their PC and when the user encounters an error, the speakers blast "HEY EVERYBODY, I'M WATCHING PORNO OVER HERE".

As I said, make it a memorable experience.

The classic way

[BhaKi]

Show the message in full screen using a blue background and white foreground. Just like a BSOD.

Electric Shock v2.0

[bytethese]

We also had the same issue at first, my apologies for not clarifying. Our version 2.0 system includes a small amount of absorbent material woven into teh seat bottom that can hold 50X it's weight in liquid. We now call the system the Electric Shock Wow system.

Go with what's known to work

[sjonke]

Tell them that reading the message will enlarge their penis... which isn't too hard to achieve anyway.

FTFY

[jalefkowit]

Dear Slashdot,

I am filled with a black, unutterable contempt for the troglodytic users of my application. Can you suggest ways to translate this contempt into software?

A good plot

[CodeHog]

The error message has to have a good plot and some character development. Pull the users in with that and then get the error message across. Ok, seriously, as a writer of error messages at times, I have found putting in 'interesting' wording works sometimes with some of the more intelligent users. Unfortunately, there will always be the ones that just want someone else to do their work. I suggest that they be burned because they're witches.

a risk based approach

[ThaReetLad]

a risk based approach is required, so that users know that occasionally a message box will appear that will have serious negative consequences if they fail to take the correct action.

For example "If you don't turn around right now I'm going to smack you over the head with a baseball bat" [OK]

Re:choices

[malkavian]

Data is pants.

Their lips get tired

[spywhere]

I was the alpha geek on a Help Desk at a multi-state corporation, and the CIO had worked with me as an engineer before getting the job. When people too (self-)important to call the Help Desk had a problem, they would call him directly. He would give them to me, and I would make sure they were kept happy and their issues got resolved.

One day, after a vice-president had SCREAMED at him because they couldn't log on, he asked me what I had done to fix it.
I told him that their 'caps lock' had been on.
He asked, "Doesn't the Windows error message remind users to check that?"

I told him, "His lips got tired before he read down that far."

Re:Full screen

[cc1984_]

Don't forget to use brilliant colors that are harsh on the eyes!

Yes, let's make it blue just to make it stand out more.

And to ice the cake, maybe we should have it so the only way to get rid of the message is a reboot.

I think I may be on to something here.

Your solution :

[unity100]

Funny error messages. really funny. not 'microsoft' funny.

Re:Java errors vomitted out in a dialog box....

[ArsenneLupin]

Why not just display a skull and crossbones image? It'd probably save some time.

Indeed, that'll save lots of time:
User: Help, I get an error message
Support person: What does it say?
User: I dunno. It's just a piraty thingy. Skull & crossbones...
Support person: Well, if you get that, fix the problem
User: But how should I fix it?
Support person: I dunno. Maybe put on an eye-patch, take your sword, and wave it around to scare the problem away. Have a nice day.

Re:FTFY

[Spad]

So *you're* responsible for Windows ME.

Explaining error messges is what support is for.

[Gribflex]

I had a lengthy discussion with some of our field engineers, and a few of our customers, about a year ago about how they use the documentation to troubleshoot problems. My main goal was to see if there was something that we could do to get customers to read the docs more (and call support less).

Eventually, someone cut to the heart of the issue from there side. Basically, he said "Do you know how much I pay each year for my support contract? No? Well, it's a lot. If I have any problems that don't fix themselves in under five minutes, I'm going to pick up the phone and call you. I'm paying you to support me if I have trouble, I shouldn't have to troubleshoot it myself."

Re:Electric Shock

[HungryHobo]

Boring story:

The most memorable example for me was when I was working part time as a tote at a race track during college.
There was some significant "technical problem" which was delaying the races.
I was up in the cash room and the manger was on the phone to the control room asking what was wrong.

She asked me to carry down a TV so I grab one of the dusty old little ones and carry it down thinking one of the displays must have burned out or something.
I got down to the room and the woman who was in the control room was on the phone to some tech support drone wherever the company outsourced these things to.
Turned out she'd told my manager there was something wrong with the "monitor" which had somehow translated to "TV".

I look at the screen and bouncing slowly around over everything there's a big grey box.
It covers half the screen and the only way it could make more of a point that it's there is if it was flashing in many colours.
"Current monitor resolution not supported 1200*1600"

At first I assumed she'd read this to the tech on the other end and there's something deeper wrong so I don't do anything I just hang around and listen for a few moments and it becomes very clear that she has not read this error to the tech, it's as if she has a massive blind spot where the error is.

This isn't a little error like you get in windows whenever it wants to tell you about something and which users get used to clicking right through... no this is a fairly unusual big grey box being generated by the monitor itself.

I can hear the tech asking if she can see any errors or messeges, and she says "no" ....(WHAT THE FUCK?)

All the while the clock is ticking and costing the track quite a lot of money per minute.

I tactfully hint that perhaps I being a computer nerd and a third year comp sci student who's worked tech support in the past might be able to help but she's one of those territorial types and won't allow me to talk to the tech so that I can at least read the error to him.
(You know all know someone like her:she may not have a clue how to do her job, she may not have any idea at all what she's doing but it's within HER domain)

So while she's being talked through how to let him remote in(useless in that situation I know) I lean in, change the resolution to 800*640 .
The monitor goes blank for a moment and she assumes I've broken everything.
Then it blinks back and is working again (now though some of her icons are off the edge of the screen and she starts panicing again until I arrange the icons so they're all on the screen.
Now whenever I'm at an event and hear an announcement about "technical problems" I assume that it's really some trivial crap like that.

And if I ever work phone support again I will assume everything, absolutely everything the person on the other end tells me is a blatant lie.

Is it plugged in? yes? LIER!
It it turned on? yes? LIER!
Can you see any messeges on the screen? no? LIER!

Why do they lie!??!?

Re:Similar setup as me.

[The MAZZTer]

Another idea I was toying with was to substitute traffic signs: ie. stop, yield, caution, etc.. but I found that people are used to ignoring those.

This explains some driving I see on the roads...

The BOFH's one-word answer

[idontgno]

LART [catb.org]

Re:Automation

[L4t3r4lu5]

My work shirt [thinkgeek.com]

Re:Do away with them

[Anonymous Coward]

I find it humorous that someone talks high and mighty about errors and development but his real world example is MS Access. Sorry guy, it just makes me chuckle.

Re:Automation

[The Mighty Buzzard]

Televised execution by means of midgets with machetes. Sorry, that was insensitive. Little people with machetes.

Re:Pop up the error message in a box...

[bsDaemon]

Yeah, but the correct one will probably be in 5th place about 50% of the time, so what's the point?

Re:Electric Shock

[cgenman]

I once had a user call because he "couldn't get into his e-mail." After about half an hour of being stonewalled on the phone, it turns out that:
1. He couldn't load his e-mail because he couldn't run his e-mail application.
2. He couldn't run his e-mail application because he couldn't run windows.
3. He couldn't run windows because his computer wouldn't turn on.
4. His computer wouldn't turn on because he had yanked out the previous motherboard, stuck in a new one (without a CPU, of course), and just assumed everything would work.
5. Seeing as how this was painfully stupid, he didn't actually tell the tech support this for fear that the tech support would figure out what he had done wrong.
6. And, instead of calling the hardware manufacturer's help line, he called his ISP.

My second favorite tech support call was a user who was having trouble getting online, and no matter how many settings we changed nothing seemed to fix it. "Hardware problem" you suggest? Yup. Over the weekend someone had bulldozed the wall with her network jack.

No matter how bad things might get at my current job, at least I'm not doing tech support.

Re:Electric Shock

[camperdave]

But what if... what if the cake is a lie?

Re:or Validation Code.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd provide instructions that credit cards are not accepted, and then have a box asking for the credit card. When someone tries to enter their card, error out saying credit cards are not accept, you idiot.

Re:Electric Shock

[Lumpy]

WE use angry midgets that punch them in the groin if they dont read the error message. One assigned to each workstation.

works great, problem is the pay rate we have to give the midgets is 2X that of the positions that they are working at, except for management, we can get midgets to punch managers and executives in the groin for nearly free, problem is they have a high rate of false positives and un-necessary groin punches. Some have also escalated in severity, the marketing manager started wearing an aluminum groin protector, the midget assigned to him started bring in golf clubs and baseball bats...

Reboot then re-image

[friedpo]

I trained all of my users to do screenshots when possible, because if they don't, the machine gets re-imaged. It's kind of like a shock collar for a dog.

Re:Electric Shock

[AttilaSz]

"'ll get it fixed ASAP"

After all, it's a piece of cake.