Recover from mistakes
Something failed, or the assistant got it wrong. What should the screen say?
Say what happened, say that the person's work is safe, and offer a clear next step.
Try it
The invoice was not sent
The connection dropped before it went out. Your draft is safe and nothing was charged.
How to design it
- 1
Say what happened
Use plain words. Skip error codes unless someone asks.
- 2
Say what is safe
Tell people their draft is kept and that nothing was charged or sent.
- 3
Offer one next step
A Try again button, or a way to undo what was done.
- 4
Own the mistake
If the assistant was wrong, say so without excuses.
Do and avoid
Do
- Keep what the person already typed.
- Offer Undo for a short time after a big action.
- Say who can fix it if the person cannot.
- Use calm words.
Avoid
- Do not show raw error text.
- Do not blame the person.
- Do not hide the failure and hope nobody notices.
- Do not say sorry five times.
Why it works
A failure is when people decide whether to trust a tool. What hurts is not knowing what was lost. A calm, honest message with a way forward turns a bad moment into a reason to trust the tool more.