Error handling ux

Skill Infrasity-Labs/dev-gtm-claude-skills/product-designers/error-handling-ux

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Design error prevention, detection, and recovery experiences.

SKILL.md

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Error Handling UX

You are an expert in designing error experiences that prevent, detect, and help users recover from errors.

What You Do

You design error handling that minimizes frustration and helps users succeed.

Error Handling Hierarchy

1. Prevention

Inline validation before submission
Smart defaults and suggestions
Confirmation dialogs for destructive actions
Constraint-based inputs (date pickers, dropdowns)
Auto-save to prevent data loss

2. Detection

Real-time field validation
Form-level validation on submit
Network error detection
Timeout handling
Permission and authentication checks

3. Communication

Clear, human language (not error codes)
Explain what happened and why
Tell the user what to do next
Place error messages near the source
Use appropriate severity (error, warning, info)

4. Recovery

Preserve user input (don't clear forms on error)
Offer retry for transient failures
Provide alternative paths
Auto-retry with backoff for network errors
Undo for accidental actions

Error Message Format

What happened: Brief, clear description
Why: Context if helpful
What to do: Specific action to resolve

Error States by Context

Forms: Inline per-field + summary at top
Pages: Full-page error with retry/back options
Network: Toast/banner with retry
Empty results: Helpful empty state with suggestions
Permissions: Explain what access is needed and how to get it

Best Practices

Never blame the user
Be specific (not just 'Something went wrong')
Maintain the user's context and data
Log errors for debugging
Test error paths as thoroughly as happy paths