In plain English
Identifying an error is step one. Helping fix it is step two. If someone enters a date in the wrong format and you can tell what they meant, do not just say “invalid”, tell them the format you need: “Enter the date as MM/YYYY.” The more specific and helpful the message, the faster people recover, and the fewer abandoned carts you get.
The only time to hold back is when a suggestion would hurt security, like revealing which half of a login was wrong.
Who this is for
- Everyone filling in a form, who recovers faster with a clear suggestion.
- Screen-reader users, who benefit most from precise, spoken guidance.
- People with cognitive differences, for whom vague errors are a wall.
What “good” looks like
Say what is wrong and how to fix it.
Bad: "Invalid input."
Better: "Enter a valid email address."
Best: "Enter a valid email address, like you@store.com."
Bad: "Wrong format."
Best: "Enter the expiry date as MM/YY."Where stores get it wrong
Checkout errors that say only “invalid” or “error”, format requirements revealed only after you get them wrong, and no guidance on how to correct a field. Pairing a clear suggestion with proper error identification removes a big source of checkout drop-off and appears on the common failures list.