Error messages and usability

Error messages are an unavoidable part of the user interfaces. Something can always go wrong and sometimes the user must be notified about it. However a good error message should be both informative and actionable. The user should understand in the user's own language what went wrong and should the user do something about. Writing error message texts is difficult and there are often bad messages that have to be fixed. This opens up an interesting triage of the error message errors.

If the error message can be eliminated altogether, it is a MUST. 
If the error message can teach the user how to fix problem, it is a GOOD TO HAVE. 
If the error message can only give a bit better information, it is a NICE TO HAVE.

Nth coming of Radio is Social?

Radio never goes away. It just changes its carrier.


It is now time to think about Social Radio. On the first sight radio looks like having nothing social. Radio is a broadcast medium not a social network. However there are at least three social connections in the radio.

1. Connection between radio personalities and the listeners. With no visual component the radio personalities have to be stronger than the television personalities. This creates artist-fan connection between radio personalities and listeners similar to musicians and their fans.
2. Connection between artists and fans. This is less apparent in the radio than the connection between radio personalities and listeners. But as people tend to find new music mainly through radio they also find new music from their favorite artists through radio.
3. Connection between radio channel and the listeners. Listeners tend to create relationship with radio channel rather than radio programs. This is distinct from television where people tend to channel hop according to their favorite shows. Radio listening is more stable providing a soundtrack for other activities.

However there can be more in the social for the Radio. There can be connection between Listeners. One interesting prototype for Social aspects of the Radio is Olinda by BBC. Olinda provides a connection between listeners in a very basic but meaningful level.