

Should Error Messages Allow User Feedback? - rosiesherry
http://rosiesherry.com/2012/07/facebook-iphone-app-error-bug-and-should-feedback-be-allowed-on-error-messages/
So here's an idea...I came across an iPhone Facebook app bug.  I got an error message which gave me the option to enter a message.  Entering a message appeared to do nothing, but it got me thinking, would it be useful in some scenarios to allow users to give feedback when presented with an error?  Could this not be potentially useful in figuring out how and why errors occur?
======
Zenst
Microsoft have been doing it for years. Though usualy were on a fullypatched
system they suggest you run windows update and you respond NO not helpful and
type your rant of the day.

Feedback has two uses.

1) lets the user vent 2) gives some feedback and mostly in a form that is
humourous to read.

Not all feedback is read and taken note of but even if some is then it's
better than not having it. Mostly it allows the user to vent. When that
feedback is voice based is when we realy will start to have fun and the whole
"Fn peace of shit computer" will actualy start to make sence. Now if they
could add a tactile sensor on the side of the computer you could press with
your fist as well to rate your frustration - then the whole feedback model
will actualy fit with users expectations, until that day arrives I'll take my
venting were I can ;).

------
nmcfarl
The sub-article, linked to by this post is better I think:
[http://www.softwaretestingclub.com/profiles/blogs/should-
err...](http://www.softwaretestingclub.com/profiles/blogs/should-error-panels-
allow-for-user-input)

And I tend to like the idea - a good percentage of the time when my small
underfunded/staffed projects have encountered an error the logs tell me
nothing about how it was provoked, and the code is not _obviously_ * broken. A
proper bug report rocks in these cases - and I often find myself wishing for
one. The option for a user to leave an even improper one would be pretty
awesome here. I might just do this.

*It’s obviously broken it’s just not obvious how it’s broken :)

------
struppi
Instead of a feedback form I would prefer

    
    
      The error has been automatically recorded and our team is looking into it
      ...or... If you have any questions about this error [link]please contact support[/link]
      ... or both
    

But I guess a feedback form is a nice feature too. I just don't know if I'd
use it.

~~~
yaix
Maybe only in one of twenty cases. And maybe only one of ten user comments are
useful, but that one could save you hours of error tracking.

------
HoLyVieR
We have been doing at work with our web product for quite long time and it
works well. Instead of simply showing a 500 page when an error happens and
logging it, we also provide a link to let the user add information and
comments about what he was actually trying to do. This helps us a lot to
figure out how to reproduce the problem (it can sometimes be hard to do if
it's a problem that only 1 user on over 100000 is having).

~~~
rosiesherry
Do you have any examples? Screenshots? I'd be interested to see how this is
being implemented.

------
anigbrowl
Yes. They should also be informative. For example, I frequently get a visual
warning in Chrome of an extension error. When I click on the wrench menu to
visit the extension page, there is no information about which of the ~25
extensions it is. So I live with it, because I have better things to do than
try 25! possible combinations.

------
drivingmenuts
Unless you have a very focused audience, I don't see how allowing users to
give feedback would return much that was usable.

Perhaps more/better logging during the development period? Stop letting a mass
of non-technical users into betas?

