Editorial draft available to read. Factual and language review is pending. Examples are illustrative.
Separate absence from failure
An empty list may contain no records, be filtered or fail to load. Distinguish these states; a source failure is not “no results.” Define detection and appropriate actions: create, broaden filters, retry or seek help.
Preserve work and orientation
On form failure, preserve appropriate inputs and identify the affected field or step. Explain without exposing internals or secrets. State unknown outcomes before suggesting repetition. Useful messages reduce uncertainty rather than relying on generic apologies.
Test complete recovery
Example: no matches for “industrial CRM” should offer filter removal or related services. A server failure needs different wording and retained query. Users must identify the issue and recover accessibly without lost work or false receipt claims.
Key takeaways
- Explain what happened, what is preserved and what the person can do next.