Summary: Too often, modern businesses and developers forget one core truth: systems speak in structure, not sentiment. When a customer-facing response contains nothing but JSON error code—like “Insufficient Account Balance”—it’s not storytelling. It’s cold output. This post tackles why some messages fail to communicate, how technical teams misinterpret usability, and what this error message reveals about broken processes that damage trust and kill conversions.
Nothing to Rewrite, Nothing to Learn—Or Is There?
When someone says, “Unfortunately, the provided text does not contain a story that can be extracted and rewritten,” they’re not just stating a fact. They’re telling you the system failed a basic task: communicating with a human being. What’s worse—it frames the fault as systemic and unavoidable. That’s not harmless. That’s surrendering to poor design.
Let’s unpack this. The original message comes from a system output, most likely during a failed transaction or API request. The message doesn’t acknowledge the user. It makes no attempt to help. It offers no next step. And yet it may represent the moment with the highest emotional intensity: when the user expected success but hit a digital wall.
Your Customers Don’t Speak JSON
The text we’re analyzing is:
{
"error": "Insufficient balance",
"code": 402,
"message": "Payment failed"
}
To a developer, this is clear. To a customer, it’s a dead end. No story. No guidance. They know something failed, but they don’t know why. This silent gap between system logic and human understanding is where trust erodes—fast.
What could we have instead? How about:
“Your payment could not be completed because your account balance is too low. Please check your billing details or contact support to resolve this. Want help figuring it out?”
See the difference? It acknowledges the user’s situation. It explains what went wrong. And it offers a pathway forward. That’s a story in miniature form. No fluff. Just clarity and empathy.
Stop Blaming the Format
When someone says, “There is no main story to extract,” what they’re really saying is that the data was dumped without reflection. And that’s a problem with design, not content. It’s like saying a screwdriver is useless for painting. Of course it is—wrong tool, wrong job.
But here’s the point: if you expect conversion, satisfaction, or understanding from your audience, you’re never just sending data. You’re always telling a story—even if it’s “Your transaction went through fine.”
Don’t you find it odd how many businesses treat their most critical interactions—like payments and failed logins—like machine chatter? What does that say about how they value the customer’s time?
Error Messages Aren’t Technical—They’re Emotional
An error message isn’t just a status report. It’s a moment of friction. And friction introduces doubt. It triggers questions like:
- Did I do something wrong?
- Is my credit card broken?
- Will I be billed twice now?
Ignoring those emotions doesn’t make them go away. It pushes people into frustration, then silence, then churn. If you think that doesn’t matter because “it’s just a system message,” you’re missing the far bigger story. You’re discouraging user trust. And that’s expensive.
Designing for Clarity Is Designing for Conversion
The better approach is simple: every system communication—yes, even error JSON—needs to be designed for clarity, not just syntax. That’s not asking for a bedtime story. That’s asking for decency, usability, persuasion.
Want a system that performs better? Ask these open-ended questions in your next UX review:
- “What is the user trying to do in this moment?”
- “How would they describe this failure to a friend?”
- “What emotion are they likely to feel when this message appears?”
- “What would I want to see here if I had just lost money?”
And when someone responds with “Well, we just output what the system sends,” try using mirroring: “You just output what the system sends?” Leave that silence hanging. Let them fill the gap. Let them hear it in their own words. This opens the door for a productive conversation grounded in accountability.
Ambiguity Is Not Efficient. It’s Expensive.
Here’s what holds most teams back: a false belief that brevity equals speed. But what’s quicker—a message that gets ignored or one that immediately clears confusion and retains a customer?
Messages like “Insufficient Account Balance” without any explanatory context aren’t faster. They cause more support tickets, longer resolution delays, and revenue that leaks out while you’re busy fixing misunderstandings instead of improving service.
Isn’t it cheaper to avoid confusion than to hire someone to handle it later?
Writing for Humans Inside Machines
Coding is not just about functions. It’s about outcomes. Marketing isn’t just about attracting users. It’s about keeping them. And systems aren’t neutral—they frame how users see your brand, your competency, your values.
Language matters. Even the language buried inside your backend logic. Especially that language.
So, What Should You Do?
Start auditing your error structure. Yes, even the JSON responses. Review the top five points of failure in your system and ask:
- Does this tell the user exactly what went wrong?
- Does it tell them what to do next?
- Does it show respect for their time?
Then align your communications accordingly. If your interface is for developers, give them URLs to documentation. If for customers, plain language and helpful links. If both—build layered outputs, smart fallbacks, and thoughtful UX copy.
This Isn’t Just Formatting. It’s Persuasion.
When a customer sees an obstacle, they’re looking for two things: clarity and care. Show them that you’re committed to both, and you’ll earn their trust—not just their transaction.
Because the real message behind a generic failure is: “Your time isn’t worth explaining.” If that’s not the story you meant to tell, then fix the message. Start today.
#UserExperience #ErrorDesign #PersuasiveTech #ClarityFirst #MarketingMeetsUX #SystemMessagesMatter #CommunicationDesign
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR (x09LWB0Axnk)
