Flag

We stand with Ukraine and our team members from Ukraine. Here are ways you can help

Become a member

Get exclusive access to thought-provoking articles, bonus podcast content, and cutting-edge whitepapers. Become a member of the UX Magazine community today!

Home ›› Apple ›› An Error Number from Apple? #wtfUX

An Error Number from Apple? #wtfUX

by Daniel Brown
1 min read
Share this post on
Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Save

In a surprising experience design slip, Apple gives users an inscrutable error message.

​For all of Apple’s usability efforts, one department seems to have missed the company-wide memo sent out 30+ years ago. Under no circumstances should a user be presented with a message like this. If the system knows enough to display an error number, it can certainly cross-reference that into a human-consumable message. (FYI: I was attempting to rename a folder that was being copied.)

Apple error message

On top of all that, what could a negative number in an error message possibly imply? Shouldn’t a negative error indicate a good thing?

 

Keep these coming. Send them to us via Twitter or Facebook using the hastag #wtfUX or email them to: [email protected] with “#wtfUX” in the subject line. Include as much context as you can, so we get a full understanding of what the f%*k went wrong. Image of worm in apple courtesy Shutterstock.

post authorDaniel Brown

Daniel Brown
Daniel has spent the past 20 years in software companies both large and small. From web design and development for a “boutique” web design firm to Evangelism for Adobe Systems, to helping budding startup companies get a foothold in the market, he’s worn a variety of “hats". Daniel has spoken at a variety of events worldwide including the Sundance Film Festival, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Santa Fe Digital Workshops, and the Pacific Imaging Center in Hawaii on the topics of web design, digital imaging, photography, and user experience. Daniel currently serves as the head of the interface and user experience department at a small medical software company in Providence, Rhode Island.

Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Related Articles

The New Makers

  • Artificial Intelligence, Career, Future of Work, Product Design, Technology, UX Design, UX Research

For researchers, AI tools are making the move from advising to building easier than ever. But the real obstacle was never technical. Meet the researchers who allowed themselves to create — and what the cost was.

Article by James Lang
IDEAS IN BRIEF
The New Makers
  • The article says that becoming a maker as a researcher is less about learning new tools or skills and more about giving yourself a new identity, and that without fixing the internal permission structures that define your swim lane, even the most democratized AI tools won’t turn a researcher into a maker — you don’t have a founder; you have a frustrated advisor with a prototype.
Read Article →
Share
Share:The New Makers
20 min read

Gamification 2.0. Beyond Points and Badges: Designing for Players, Not Metrics. Chapter 5: Implementation

  • Behavioral Design, Game Design, Gamification Series, Player Engagement, Product Design, User Psychology, UX Design

Learn why authentic gamification is rooted in game genres rather than just collecting badges.

Article by Montgomery Singman
IDEAS IN BRIEF
Gamification 2.0. Beyond Points and Badges: Designing for Players, Not Metrics. Chapter 5: Implementation
  • The article says that successful gamification is picking a game genre that fits your app’s core activities and user psychology, building satisfying intrinsic loops before adding extrinsic rewards, and iterating nonstop, and that without these foundations, you don’t have gamification; you have a progress bar that has a terminal point.
Read Article →
Share
Share:Gamification 2.0. Beyond Points and Badges: Designing for Players, Not Metrics. Chapter 5: Implementation
5 min read

A Problem Framing Kernel

  • Critical Thinking, Design Leadership, Design Strategy, Design Thinking, Innovation

Reveal the three-part kernel that separates real problem framing from simple description.

Article by Morteza Pourmohamadi
IDEAS IN BRIEF
A Problem Framing Kernel
  • The piece argues that if you don’t have these three core elements: broadly collecting raw material, connecting elements to surface real tensions, and committing to a point of view, you don’t have a problem frame yet; you have a description.
Read Article →
Share
Share:A Problem Framing Kernel
4 min read
✕

Join the UX Magazine community!

Stay informed with exclusive content on the intersection of UX, AI agents, and agentic automation—essential reading for future-focused professionals.

Hello!

You're officially a member of the UX Magazine Community.
We're excited to have you with us!

Thank you!

To begin viewing member content, please verify your email.

✕

Get Paid to Test AI Products

Earn an average of $100 per test by reviewing AI-first product experiences and sharing your feedback.

    Tell us about you. Enroll in the course.

      ✕

      This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Check our privacy policy and

      Accept policy