出自UXGuide.net

错误信息：文本

Error Messages: Text

目录 1 General 2 Titles 3 Main instructions 3.1 Main instruction templates 4 Supplemental instructions 5 Commit buttons

General

• Remove redundant text. Look for it in titles, main instructions, supplemental instructions, command links, and commit buttons. Generally, leave full text in instructions and interactive controls, and remove any redundancy from the other places.
• Use user-centered explanations. Describe the problem in terms of user actions or goals, not in terms of what the software is unhappy with. Use language that the target users understand and use. Avoid technical jargon.

Incorrect:

Correct:

In these examples, the correct version speaks the user's language whereas the incorrect version is overly technical.

• 不要使用下列字词：
  • error（错误）、failure（失败）：用“Problem（问题）”代替
  • failed to（……失败）：用“unable to（无法）”代替
  • illegal（非法）、invalid（无效）、bad（损坏）：用“incorrect（错误）”或“not valid（并非有效）”代替
  • fatal（致命）：用“program termination（程序终止）”代替
  • abort（中止）、kill（中止）、terminate（终止）：用“stop（结束）”代替
  • catastrophic（灾难性的）：用“serious（严重的）”代替

这些用语是不必要的，而且与 Windows Vista 的鼓励式语气背道而驰。相反，当错误图标使用得当时，足以表达这里出现了问题。

Incorrect:

Correct:

In the incorrect example, the terms "catastrophic" and "failure" are unnecessary.

• 不要使用责备用户或暗示用户犯了错误的用语。避免在句子中使用“you（你）”和“your（你的）”。虽然通常来说建议使用主动语态，但如果主动语态有可能会使用户感到被责备的话，可以使用被动语态。

Incorrect:

Correct:

The incorrect example blames the user by using the active voice.

• 用词明确。避免模糊的用词，例如“语法错误”或是“非法操作”。应当提供明确的名称、位置及所涉及的对象的值等等。

Incorrect:

File not found.

Disk is full.

Value out of range.

Character is invalid.

Device not available.

These problems would be much easier to solve with specific names, locations, and values.

• Don't give possibly unlikely problems, causes, or solutions in an attempt to be specific. Don't provide a problem, cause, or solution unless there is one that is likely to be right. For example, it is better to say An unknown error occurred than something that is likely to be inaccurate.
• Avoid the word "please," except in situations in which the user is asked to do something inconvenient (such as waiting) or the software is to blame for the situation.

Correct:

Please wait while Windows copies the files to your computer.

• Use the word "sorry" only in error messages that result in serious problems for the user (for example, data loss or inability to use the computer). Don't apologize if the issue occurred during the normal functioning of the program (for example, if the user needs to wait for a network connection to be found).

Correct:

We're sorry, but Fabrikam Backup detected an unrecoverable problem and was shut down to protect files on your computer.

• Refer to products using their short names. Don't use full product names or trademark symbols. Don't include the company name unless users associate the company name with the product. Don't include program version numbers.

Incorrect:

Correct:

In the incorrect example, full product names and trademark symbols are used.

• Use double quotation marks around object names. Doing so makes the text easier to parse and avoids potentially embarrassing statements.
  • Exception: Fully qualified file paths, URLs, and domain names don't need to be in double quotation marks.

Correct:

In this example, the error message would be confusing if the object name weren't in quotation marks.

• Avoid starting sentences with object names. Doing so is often difficult to parse.
• Don't use exclamation marks or words with all capital letters. Exclamation marks and capital letters make it feel like you are shouting at the user.

For more guidelines and examples, see Style and Tone.

Titles

• Use the title to identify the command or feature from which the error originated. Exceptions:
  • If an error is displayed by many different commands, consider using the program name instead.
  • If that title would be redundant or confusing with the main instruction, use the program name instead.
• Don't use the title to explain or summarize the problem—that's the purpose of the main instruction.

Incorrect:

In this example, the title is being incorrectly used to explain the problem.

• Use title-style capitalization, without ending punctuation.

Main instructions

• Use the main instruction to describe the problem in clear, plain, specific language.
• Be concise—use only a single, complete sentence. Pare the main instruction down to the essential information. You can leave the subject implicit if it is your program or the user. Include the reason for the problem if you can do so concisely. If you must explain anything more, use a supplemental instruction.

Incorrect:

In this example, the entire error message is put in the main instruction, making it hard to read.

• Be specific—if there are objects involved, give their names.
• Avoid putting full file paths and URLs in the main instruction. Rather, use a short name (such as the file name) and put the full name (such as the file path) in the supplemental instruction. However, you can put a single full file path or URL in the main instruction if the error message doesn't otherwise need a supplemental instruction.

In this example, only the file name is in the main instruction. The full path is in the supplemental instruction.

• Don't give the full file path and URL at all if it's obvious from the context.

In this example, the user is renaming a file from Windows Explorer. In this case, the full file path isn't needed because it's obvious from the context.

• Use present tense whenever possible.
• 使用句子大写样式。
• Don't include final periods if the instruction is a statement. If the instruction is a question, include a final question mark.

Main instruction templates

While there are no strict rules for phrasing, try using the following main instruction templates whenever possible:

• <optional subject name> can't <perform action>
• <optional subject name> can't <perform action> because <reason>
• <optional subject name> can't <perform action> to "<object name>"
• <optional subject name> can't <perform action> to "<object name>" because <reason>
• There is not enough <resource> to <perform action>
• <Subject name> doesn't have a <object name> required for <purpose>
• <Device or setting> is turned off so that <undesired results>
• <Device or setting> isn't <available | found | turned on | enabled>
• "<object name>" is currently unavailable
• The user name or password is incorrect
• You don't have permission to access "<object name>"
• You don't have privilege to <perform action>
• <program name> has experienced a serious problem and must close immediately

Of course, make changes as needed for the main instruction to be grammatically correct and comply with the main instruction guidelines.

Supplemental instructions

• Use the supplemental instruction to:
  • Give additional details about the problem.
  • Explain the cause of the problem.
  • List steps the user can take to fix the problem.
  • Provide measures to prevent the problem from reoccurring.
• Whenever possible, propose a practical, helpful solution so users can fix the problem. However, make sure the proposed solution is likely to solve the problem. Don't waste users' time by suggesting possible, but improbable, solutions.

Incorrect:

In this example, while the problem and its recommended solution are possible, they are very unlikely.

• If the problem is an incorrect value that the user entered, use the supplemental instruction to explain the correct values. Users shouldn't have to determine this information from another source.
• Don't provide a solution if it can be trivially deduced from the problem statement.

In this example, no supplemental instruction is necessary; the solution can be trivially deduced from the problem statement.

• If the solution has multiple steps, present the steps in the order in which they should be completed. However, avoid multi-step solutions because users have difficulty remembering more than two or three simple steps. If more steps are required, refer to the appropriate Help topic.
• Keep supplemental instructions concise. Provide only what users need to know. Omit unnecessary details. Aim for a maximum of three sentences of moderate length.
• To avoid mistakes while users perform instructions, put the results before the action.

Correct:

To restart Windows, click OK.

Incorrect:

Click OK to restart Windows.

In the incorrect example, users are more likely to click OK by accident.

• Don't recommend contacting an administrator unless doing so is among the most likely solutions to the problem. Reserve such solutions for problems that really can only be solved by an administrator.

Incorrect:

In this example, most likely the problem is with the user's network connection, so it's not worth contacting an administrator.

• Don't recommend contacting technical support. The option to contact technical support to solve a problem is always available, and doesn't need to be promoted through error messages. Instead, focus on writing helpful error messages so that users can solve problems without contacting technical support.

Incorrect:

In this example, the error message incorrectly recommends contacting technical support.

• 使用带句末标点的完整句子，并使用句子大写样式。

Commit buttons

• If the error message provides command buttons or command links that solve the problem, follow their respective guidelines in Dialog Boxes.
• Otherwise, provide a Close button. Don't use OK for error messages, because this wording implies that problems are OK.
• Don't provide a debug command unless the program is specifically targeted at the developer of the program.

Incorrect:

In this example, it's doubtful that many users would be inclined to debug the problem.