CHALLENGE 5

Recovery Message

Scenario

The user works in graphic design. While critiquing a design in a mobile app, their phone abruptly turns off. When they restart the phone, they reopen the app.

Challenge

Write a message that the user will read immediately upon opening the app. What do they need to know? What steps (if any) do they need to take to recover their content? What if they can't recover the content?

Headline: 40 characters max

Body: 140 characters max

Button(s): 20 characters max

Goal

Tell the user what happened and what they can do about it.
While providing a reason for the error can strengthen trust between the company and user, it might not always be necessary for the next step. (However, if the problem was due to user error, an explanation can prevent future issues.)

Considerations

Regardless of who is responsible for the error, it is important not to blame the user or make them feel badly about the situation, especially if they are dealing with loss of data. In fact, the message should be supportive, in addition to helpful.

I offered two versions below: one where the user’s data can be recovered, and one where it cannot be recovered. Of course, the exact wording of the latter would depend on what the company is able to offer to the user.

For the first version, I had considered a secondary CTA with a link reading ‘Continue to app’, but thought it could be confuse the user if they saw it as another option to to recover their work. Instead I added an ‘x’ to close the window.

^ Back to top