The Cost of a Good Error Message

An error message is a conversation with someone at their worst moment: something broke, they are frustrated, and they want out.

A good message tells them what happened, what they can do about it, and where to look next. A bad one tells them a stack trace and a shrug.

The cost is real — you have to anticipate failure and write for it. But the payoff compounds across every future person who hits that path.