GenericErrorText [anti-pattern] v1.0.0

Displaying 'An error occurred', 'Something went wrong', or 'Please try again' without explaining what failed, why, or what the user should do next.

Label

Generic or Vague Error Messages

Trap

Catch-all error handlers display a generic message to avoid exposing internal state. This is appropriate for security (server errors, auth failures), but developers apply the same pattern everywhere including form validation, network timeouts, and user-correctable errors where specific guidance is needed.

Detection Heuristics

• Error text is identical across multiple failure scenarios
• Error message has no actionable next step
• Message says 'try again' without indicating when or how
• No error code or reference for support contact

Remediation

• Name the field or resource that failed: 'Your card number is invalid'
• Explain the constraint: 'Password must be at least 8 characters'
• Provide a recovery action: 'Check your connection and try again — if this persists, contact support'
• For opaque server errors: show a reference code so support can look it up
• Reserve 'Something went wrong' only for truly unclassifiable errors

GenericErrorText [anti-pattern] v1.0.0

Displaying 'An error occurred', 'Something went wrong', or 'Please try again' without explaining what failed, why, or what the user should do next.

Label

Generic or Vague Error Messages

Trap

Catch-all error handlers display a generic message to avoid exposing internal state. This is appropriate for security (server errors, auth failures), but developers apply the same pattern everywhere including form validation, network timeouts, and user-correctable errors where specific guidance is needed.

Detection Heuristics

• Error text is identical across multiple failure scenarios
• Error message has no actionable next step
• Message says 'try again' without indicating when or how
• No error code or reference for support contact

Remediation

• Name the field or resource that failed: 'Your card number is invalid'
• Explain the constraint: 'Password must be at least 8 characters'
• Provide a recovery action: 'Check your connection and try again — if this persists, contact support'
• For opaque server errors: show a reference code so support can look it up
• Reserve 'Something went wrong' only for truly unclassifiable errors

Label

Generic or Vague Error Messages

Trap

Catch-all error handlers display a generic message to avoid exposing internal state. This is appropriate for security (server errors, auth failures), but developers apply the same pattern everywhere including form validation, network timeouts, and user-correctable errors where specific guidance is needed.

Detection Heuristics

• Error text is identical across multiple failure scenarios
• Error message has no actionable next step
• Message says 'try again' without indicating when or how
• No error code or reference for support contact

Remediation

• Name the field or resource that failed: 'Your card number is invalid'
• Explain the constraint: 'Password must be at least 8 characters'
• Provide a recovery action: 'Check your connection and try again — if this persists, contact support'
• For opaque server errors: show a reference code so support can look it up
• Reserve 'Something went wrong' only for truly unclassifiable errors