Summary: What appears to be a routine system message—a JSON error response—can actually teach us a lot about communication, expectations, and the hidden customer story behind even the shortest lines of code. By examining a brief error message involving insufficient account balance, we’ll unpack how a business unintentionally reveals its internal logic, fails to acknowledge customer emotion, and—most importantly—misses a prime opportunity to engage and educate.
Error Messages Are Still Messages
Let’s start with this dry yet revealing line:
"message":"I apologize, but the text you provided does not appear to be a raw website text containing a main story that needs to be extracted and rewritten. The text you provided seems to be a JSON response with an error message related to an insufficient account balance. This text does not contain a story that I can extract and rewrite."
Looks like a copy-paste from the backend. Sure, it’s technically functional. But that’s exactly the problem—it’s functional, not communicative. It reveals a common blind spot: companies often write software (and replies) from an internal perspective, assuming their end users speak the same language. But most users don’t think in JSON or schema errors. They think in outcomes, expectations, and unmet needs.
The Missed Opportunity: Empathy Meets Precision
When someone receives a message like this, what’s truly going through their mind? They’re likely frustrated. Maybe confused. Possibly even embarrassed. They tried to get help. Instead, they got a digital shrug—"I can't do this because your input isn't correct."
Imagine the customer story behind the error: a freelancer trying to extract content from a website for a deadline, maybe up against a billing issue they're not even aware of. They’re not looking for a diagnostic—they're looking for a way forward. Here’s where the message fails. It points out what’s not possible, but fails to suggest what is. Wouldn’t you agree that a better message would do three things:
- Mirror the user’s likely frustration: “It looks like something’s gone sideways with the input.”
- Identify what went wrong, using user logic, not system logic: “Instead of a webpage text, the file you uploaded contains a server error.”
- Offer a path forward: “Check your account balance or reach out—we can help you get back on track.”
Now that message earns trust. It respects the user. And it sets you apart in a landscape full of cold, robotic replies that railroad users into quitting.
From ‘No’ to Negotiation
This brings us to a powerful lesson from Chris Voss: “No” isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a real conversation. A great UX doesn’t avoid saying “No”—it builds a pathway off that “No.” The original error message doesn’t do that. Instead of inviting the user to explore what’s wrong and how to fix it, it shuts down the dialog. That’s a mistake.
Subtle mirroring could help. Echoing the user's action: "You were trying to analyze a webpage, but the system only got an account error.” This tiny repetition proves you're listening—and that opens the psychological door to cooperation. Voss calls this tactical empathy. It's not soft—it’s persuasive. It creates space. Silence and curiosity let the user breathe and consider what comes next. Ask: “How would you like us to help clear this up?” You shift from diagnostic to dialogue. That’s power.
Social Proof and Self-Perception
This isn't just emotional language fluff. There’s science behind why this works. Robert Cialdini’s principles remind us that we humans navigate uncertainty by looking for patterns—social cues to follow. Error messages that show others have experienced the same issue—and solved it—offer not just consolation, but direction.
Example? Try something like: “We’ve seen this happen when accounts run into billing glitches. You’re not alone.” Bam—Social Proof. Then lead into potential self-resolution: “Most users solve this by updating billing or re-uploading with a corrected file.” That’s Commitment and Consistency. You’re helping the user take a small next step in the direction they already feel committed to—getting the task done.
Reframing Failure Isn’t Euphemism—It’s Respect
Blair Warren said it best: people will do almost anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them believe in themselves. That’s a checklist this error message failed to hit—even though the opportunity was staring us in the face.
- Encourage Dreams: "We get it—you just want clean content to work with."
- Justify Failures: "Sometimes systems spit out bad data, and it’s not your fault."
- Allay Fears: "This doesn't mean your data is lost. There’s a fix."
- Confirm Suspicions: "Yes, it might be related to billing—you’re not wrong to question that."
- Empathize with Struggles: "You’re juggling deadlines, and this shouldn’t slow you down."
Put this all together, and you’ve got a new kind of communication that doesn’t just describe the problem—it holds open the door to the solution. That’s persuasion with humility. Precision crafted for humans.
Ask the Real Question: What Help Looks Like
So ask yourself and your team: how many of your automated systems speak internally instead of externally? Are you training users to trust your process—or to fear unexpected glitches? What happens when someone hears “insufficient account balance”? Do they get curious—or do they bolt?
If your support messaging, bot replies, and error handling aren’t based on open-ended paths, mirrored language, and empathic framing, then you’re leaving a key pillar of retention and customer equity on the table.
What would it look like if your system used every failed input as a chance to reconnect—rather than deflect? Why aren’t your error messages treating problems like conversations, not closures?
The smartest systems won't just detect errors. They'll speak like people. They'll pause when needed. And they’ll turn every 'No' into a graceful 'Not yet, let's fix it.'
#ErrorDesign #CustomerCommunication #UXMatters #PersuasiveTech #NegotiateWithEmpathy #BehaviorBasedDesign
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and Markus Winkler (-q8MdTL2998)