We weren't smart enough to ensure that the user would never encounter this problem. Either the project manager and designer failed to create the right interface design, or the development and test teams failed to find an important defect in how the system works. Web site error messages are just as bad, if not worse, than the ones found in software. When an error occurs in our products, we are like the service person at the REI counter. Scripting service failure.
Every error message is a user in trouble.
Imagine your user, sitting there, late for a meeting, frustrated because they can't do the thing they desperately want to do. Every error message you put into your product is an opportunity for good service. You have to plan error messages and error handling into your schedule if you want to provide quality service as part of your Web site or product. Project managers should always add error coverage as a feature that is officially entered in the schedules for the dev and test teams. A great error is one that has been eliminated through superior error-handling code and product design.