18 Jun What are the best practices for displaying SaaS error messages?

We’ve all seen them. The dreaded error messages. You click a button, something breaks, and suddenly a mysterious popup says something like “Error Code 49214b – Forbidden.” Huh?

Error messages in SaaS apps don’t have to be confusing or scary. In fact, with a little love and thought, they can be helpful, human, and even a little fun. Let’s explore the best practices for making your error messages something users can live with… and maybe even appreciate.

1. Be Clear and Simple

Your users aren’t robots. Don’t talk to them in secret technical codes. Speak their language.

• Bad: “API Request Failure. Status Code: 502”
• Good: “Oops! We had trouble reaching our servers. Try again in a moment.”

Keep the language short, plain, and direct. If you’re using jargon, stop it. Imagine you’re explaining the error to your grandma.

2. Tell Them What to Do

A good error message doesn’t just say what’s wrong. It tells users what to do next.

• “Please check your internet connection.”
• “Try refreshing the page.”
• “Contact support if this keeps happening.”

Always add an action if one exists. Don’t leave the user stuck in frustration.

3. Show Personality (Without Being Annoying)

Error messages don’t have to be robots. A little personality can make the tough moment a bit lighter.

• “Yikes! Something went wrong. Give us a second to fix it.”
• “Well, this is awkward. Let’s try that again.”

Just don’t overdo it. No one wants a joke when their report just crashed and they lost an hour’s work. Tone matters!

4. Use the Right Visuals

Don’t dump all the frustration into a plain red popup. Use icons, colors, and layout wisely.

• Red = serious issue
• Yellow = caution or warning
• Blue = info messages

Combine this with friendly icons and some space. Make error states feel like part of the design, not like a glitch in the matrix.

5. Log the Tech Stuff (But Keep It Hidden)

Your dev team may want codes or logs. That’s fine. Just don’t show users the scary stuff first.

Put the geeky error ID in the background or under a “More Info” link. Bonus points if it makes support easier.

6. Handle Edge Cases Gracefully

Timeouts. Server crashes. Failed form submissions. Be ready for them all.

Every user journey should account for failed states. Don’t let errors break the experience.

Add autosave. Let users retry easily. Show confirmation of what’s saved. Avoid “everything disappeared” moments.

7. Test, Learn & Improve

Put your error states in your QA process. Don’t wait for users to complain.

• Use A/B testing on error copy
• Track how many users retry after an error
• See what causes most exits

The best error message is the one users forget they ever saw—because it helped them move on.

8. Localize and Translate

If your SaaS is used globally, make sure error messages are translated clearly. Don’t just run them through an auto-translator. Test with native speakers when you can.

9. Avoid Blame

Never blame the user in an error message.

Bad: “You entered an invalid email.”
Better: “Hmm, that email doesn’t look right. Could you double-check it?”

Errors happen. But shame shouldn’t.

10. Use Humor Carefully

Funny 404 pages are fun. But don’t joke when users just lost their data.

Use humor in lightweight errors, not serious ones. And always keep accessibility in mind—sarcasm doesn’t translate well.

In Summary

Error messages are a key part of your user experience. Make them:

• Clear
• Helpful
• User-friendly
• Visual and structured
• Tested and improved over time

Remember: great error messages turn user frustration into trust. Handle them with care, and your SaaS will shine just a little brighter—even when things don’t go quite right.