Products · Pattern or everyday thing
Generic error messages
Raised as a usability problem by 4 people on Hacker News over 3 years (2024–2026), in 4 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Generic error message gives no sign of what failed or how to fix itUnreviewed
20242026- Generic error message gives no information about what failed or how to fix it2026-05-13
- Generic error gives users no clue whether their work or payment was lost2025-06-10
- Generic "oops" error hides what actually went wrong from the user2024-06-02
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 4 complaints
- Generic error message gives no information about what failed or how to fix it2026-05-13
- Generic error gives users no clue whether their work or payment was lost2025-06-10
- Generic "oops" error hides what actually went wrong from the user2024-06-02
- Generic error messages hide useful information, leaving users unable to know what went wrong2024-05-23