When did you most recently encounter a software error?
- Within the last 7 days
- 8–14 days ago
- 15–30 days ago
- More than 30 days ago
- I haven’t encountered one recently
In the past 3 months, how often have unclear error messages slowed you down?
Which aids would help you most when an error occurs? Select up to three.
- Clear, step-by-step fix
- Retry button
- Undo/restore option
- Link to help article
- Contact support option
- Error code I can search
What is one thing error messages should always include to be useful?
Max 600 chars
Which best describes the error you encountered most recently?
- Crash or app closed unexpectedly
- Freeze/hang or unresponsive screen
- Validation or form submission error
- Connection/network issue
- Permission/access denied
- Timeout
- Other
Where were you in the product when it happened?
- Sign-in or authentication
- Settings or account management
- Creating or editing content
- Data entry or form submission
- File operations (upload, download, save)
- Network-dependent action (sync, fetch, API)
- Installation or update
- Other
How disruptive was the error to your task at that moment?
Which elements did the error message include? Select all that apply.
- Plain-language description
- Technical code or identifier
- Suggested next steps
- Retry button
- Link to help or contact
- Diagnostic details (logs/trace)
- None of the above
- Don’t remember
Please rate the error message on the following aspects.
How confident were you that you knew the right next step after seeing the error?
Were you able to complete your task after encountering the error?
- Yes, immediately
- Yes, after trying one or more steps
- No, I could not complete my task
About how many minutes did it take to recover and continue?
Rank the following aids from most to least helpful during recovery.
Which support options would you have wanted at that moment? Select all that apply.
- Clear step-by-step guidance
- Retry option
- Undo or restore
- Link to help article
- Contact live support
- Report the problem
- Community forum
- Other
Attention check: To confirm you’re paying attention, please select “I am paying attention.”
- I am paying attention
- I am not paying attention
- Prefer not to answer
Allocate responsibility for the error across the following (total must equal 100).
If you could rewrite the error message to be clearer, what would it say?
Max 600 chars
Where did this error occur?
- Desktop app
- Mobile app
- Web browser on desktop/laptop
- Web browser on mobile
- Command line or terminal
- Other
Which best describes your role?
- Software engineer/developer
- QA/test engineer
- Product manager
- Designer/UX
- Data/analytics
- IT/Support
- General or non-technical user
- Other
How many years of experience do you have using or building software?
- 0–1 years
- 2–4 years
- 5–9 years
- 10–14 years
- 15+ years
How would you rate your technical proficiency?
Which industry do you primarily work in?
- Technology
- Finance
- Healthcare
- Education
- Government/Public sector
- Retail/eCommerce
- Media/Entertainment
- Other
- Prefer not to say
Where do you primarily live?
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- North America
- Oceania
- South America
- Prefer not to say
Is there anything else you want to share about error messages or this survey?
Max 600 chars
AI Interview: 2 Follow-up Questions on Your Error Experience
Thank you for your time—your feedback helps improve error communication and recovery.