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Phrasing errors as questions.
Referring to the user in the first person using “you” or “your”, “me” or “my”. This can appear accusatory in tone.
“Please enter “Enter the company name.” rather than “You did not enter a name for the company”company name”.
Using the same error message for different fields on the same page. This makes it difficult to relate the message to the specific field(s) that caused the error, and some users relate the messages together and understand them as a single error.
“The start date of the reporting period must be entered in the YYYY-MM-DD format” and “The end date of the reporting period must be entered in the YYYY-MM-DD format” rather than “The reporting period must be entered in the YYYY-MM-DD format”
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