@jpmcardle

The usage of quirky, cartoony and otherwise glib error screens is a trend that is becoming increasingly widespread across web services.  Is this a positive trend?

With more and more of the world relying on cloud based services for everything from word processing to office administration, from blogging to gaming, consumers are constantly being messaged that these services are trustworthy, cost-effective and useful.

To combat user frustration when faced with intermittent service outages, many of these services have pushed towards error screens that provide a glib moment of “wonder”.  The idea is that a cute drawing of a unicorn will engender loyalty in your service… who could get angry at something like that?

I contend that this approach can be problematic for a number of reasons.

First, this type of messaging is at odds with the image of a successful, trustworthy service.  I’m not saying that there can’t be a moment of levity in these screens, but we’ve swung too far in the other direction.  Having a cute drawing that depicts monsters eating your servers can serve to further annoy users, since it suggests that the service isn’t being taken seriously.

Secondly, these types of treatments had more charm when they weren’t de-rigeur.  When there was an element of discovery about them, their impact was felt and the charm came through.  Quirky is quirky by virtue of a lack of widespread acceptance;  when something like this begins to become ubiquitous, it quickly loses its charm.

I understand the marketing potential of a unique error page, but feel that this effort could be better spent elsewhere.  A quirky error page can spread word of mouth as users discover it for the first time, but this is taking this messaging out of context.  When used in context, all users want to know (in plain language, of course) is:  What’s the problem? and How long until I can use my stuff again?  Users who receive an error message don’t care if monsters ate the server, they want to know when the problem will be resolved.

To close, imagine if you were having a problem with a product purchased from a brick and mortar store, and every time you went in to try and address the problem, you were faced with an unfunny joke and given little context about how your problem was being addressed.  My feeling is that many people would choose not to do business with that company long-term.  Why should it be any different online?