Summary: Communication breakdowns between users and software platforms often lead to confusion, especially when messages are wrapped in technical language like JSON. But instead of ignoring these errors or brushing them off as digital noise, smart marketers and professionals see a signal in the static. What seems like a dead-end—a message saying “insufficient account balance”—is in fact a hidden insight into how we structure, perceive, and respond to messaging in our user experiences and service delivery.
Bad UX Messages Are More Than Technical Glitches
Let’s be honest: people don’t read JSON. Most users have no idea what they’re looking at when a raw system output lands in front of them. And yet, companies too often ship interfaces that surface backend logic directly to users. That’s a failure not of programming, but of communication. When your product tells someone “insufficient account balance” without explanation, you’re not just failing to inform—you’re actively lowering trust.
This is a blind spot in digital communication. It’s the space where logic meets emotion and design meets expectation. The lesson? Don’t treat raw errors like background noise. Treat them as an opportunity to connect, clarify, and build brand integrity.
What Was Actually Sent, and Why It Fell Flat
The original system output wasn’t a story. It was a JSON string saying the user didn’t have enough balance. That’s it. No human-readable guidance. No context. No compassion.
And when users ask, “What’s this?” or “Can you rewrite it in plain language?”, they’re actually voicing a deeper frustration—they feel excluded. The process wasn’t designed with them in mind. The platform feels hostile, alienating, or broken. They want to know if the product team sees what they see. They’re asking: “Do you care?”
Turning Raw Errors into Powerful Communication Moments
Let’s flip the script. What if that message had said:
“You don’t have enough funds in your account to complete this action. To proceed, please check your balance or add funds.”
Simple, direct, and helpful. Suddenly, a cold rejection becomes part of a conversation. Language, when used with care, delivers empathy where silence would normally fuel confusion or resentment.
This is where Chris Voss’s principles kick in. Let your customers say “No.” Make it safe for them to disagree, disengage—or ask questions. Give them clear paths for response instead of shutting them out with system-speak. When someone runs into a wall, they don’t want silence. They want acknowledgement that their experience makes sense.
Why Precise Language Isn't Just Good UX—It's Good Business
Precision earns trust. If your system crashes into users with cryptic codes, you create friction. But when your communication matches user logic—clean, clear, cause-oriented—you build credibility. And whether you’re running a fintech app, a dashboard in logistics, or even a SaaS platform for researchers, that clarity translates into action. People who understand what broke are far more likely to return—and convert—than those who feel blindsided.
The long game here is simple: trust compounds. If users consistently feel like your interactions make sense, they’ll rely on you. If they feel you talk like a machine talking to another machine, they’ll walk. It's that black and white.
Bringing the Human Back into the System
Most companies think technical transparency is being “straightforward.” That’s a cop-out. True transparency is about setting the right expectations using familiar structure and everyday language. Technical doesn't have to mean cold. And human doesn’t have to mean “dumbed down.”
This is where we justify the real failure: the failure to design for communication. When a tool isn’t clear, it’s easy to blame the user: “They didn’t read the docs,” “They clicked on the wrong thing,” “They misunderstood the interface.” But isn’t that confirming the suspicion your customers already have? That the system is rigged against them? That the people building it don’t think the same way they do?
Marketing has to step in. It must be the translator between backend wizards and non-technical users. That’s where our value comes from. Our job isn’t just to sell—it's to make sense of the complex so it’s usable. That means fighting vague phrases, dry error codes, and jargon with the weapons of clarity, empathy, and story.
What Does This Mean for Your Product, Your Site, or Your Team?
Let’s ask what nobody asked when this JSON message was surfaced to a user:
- What were they trying to do?
- What information would help them decide what to do next?
- What emotions—frustration, fear, confusion—were stirred in the moment?
- What would get them back on track with the least amount of friction?
If you don’t know these answers for your own interface or site messaging, your system is communicating randomly. That randomness costs you credibility, conversions, and customer goodwill.
Persuasion Lives in the Gaps
As Blair Warren said, “People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies.” The cold error message did none of these. But imagine if it had:
- Encouraged their dreams: “You’re just a step away from launching your campaign.”
- Justified their failure: “This happens. Balances can get low—we’re here to help.”
- Allayed their fears: “Nothing was lost, and you can retry at any time.”
- Confirmed their suspicions: “Yes—charges from last month did reduce your balance.”
- Helped them throw rocks: “Our job is to make sure this never blocks progress again.”
That’s not fluff. That’s strategy. That’s how you reframe a moment of frustration into loyalty. It’s how you build a loyal user base without a single paid ad—by making every glitch, every rejection, every misstep into a moment of insight, dignity, and shared understanding.
Let the Silence Breathe
Want a better landing page? Want better onboarding? Want to reduce support tickets? Start by rewriting every system message. Read it out loud. Pause. Does it make sense to a stranger? Would it make them feel respected—or dismissed?
And if your answer is buried in raw code or technical babble, you’ve told them “no” before they even had the chance to ask. Let the space breathe. Make room for them to choose a better next step.
Poor messaging isn’t a bug—it’s a signal. A signal to stop, acknowledge, and speak clearly. If your team’s brushed it off as ‘just a backend thing,’ it’s time for a new standard. Because clarity, empathy, and timing aren’t design flourishes—they’re competitive advantages. Don’t rewrite for verbosity—rewrite for understanding.
#ClarityInUX #MarketingSimplicity #CustomerCommunication #ErrorMessageFail #ServiceDesign #UserExperienceMatters #PlainLanguageWins
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and Markus Spiske (bMvuh0YQQ68)