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Anecdotally, I’ve never seen an apology in the error messages telling you that your new password doesn’t include the right number or kinds of characters. Edit: And actually I think this is a case that illustrates why error messages shouldn’t apologize. It would only make them less concise and beside the point.
For example by clicking a button that says "I'm sorry. I'll try to do better next time."
Anecdotally, I’ve never seen an apology in the error messages telling you that your new password doesn’t include the right number or kinds of characters. Edit: And actually I think this is a case that illustrates why error messages shouldn’t apologize. It would only make them less concise and beside the point.
That's because it's your fault. You should apologize. All yours. For example by clicking a button that says "I'm sorry. I'll try to do better next time."
Error messages should make the user apologize.
When user get "Sorry! Something went wrong." he has no handle to complain on the internet. He has no kewords to search for other users complaints and mitigation strategies they came up with.
You as a developer you seriously limit you capacity to react to the things you didn't anticipate if you don't give your users relevant information about which unhappy path your software took in their case.
Unless you have full default telemetry on a piece of always connected software you should give your users informative messages. Not necessarily immediately informative to them but letting them have a keyword for further inquiries.
I suspect there are cultural preferences here, there's no reason to believe there's one correct answer for all of humanity. I'm from the US but I've traveled to places where it's considered rude to say "no" directly and apologies aren't common. Like when trying to order an unavailable item from a menu: - I'd like the beef burger - The chicken burger is very good - That's OK, can I have the beef burger? - Our hot dogs…
Out of interest what places are those?
You may also start doing this and realize that you personally have a mismatch with one of the cultures you participate in, which may even help resolve some small social problems you didn't even realize you were causing by bucking the particular culture's practices.
I don't even like "We" in UI messages. "We couldn't find that site." "We're just updating your computer." Perhaps I'm just an old fogey, but passive voice feels like the only right choice: "The site could not be found." "Your computer is being updated." The insertion of "We" feels like an imposition; the company who wrote the code reaching in and enacting their will with your equipment, using your screen as their soa…
I blame Google for popularizing that. Honestly it was fine enough for a YouTube error, "we couldn't find that video." But then everyone started copying it, including Microsoft who, in Windows 8, updated the blue screen of death to have a "whoopsie poopsie! Your computer has a widdle boo boo!" type message, accented with a :( sad face emoticon. Which I can guarantee was presented to countless people who lost real work…
This predated the annoying :( which I think would have led him to break the computer after the second try
I don't even like "We" in UI messages. "We couldn't find that site." "We're just updating your computer." Perhaps I'm just an old fogey, but passive voice feels like the only right choice: "The site could not be found." "Your computer is being updated." The insertion of "We" feels like an imposition; the company who wrote the code reaching in and enacting their will with your equipment, using your screen as their soa…
It gets even worse when error messages try to be cute or clever. It's childish and slightly patronizing. "Whoops, sorry! This wasn't what you were looking for!" "Oops! You broke the internet. We are trying to fix it." "Are you lost? Let us help you home (link to home page)" https://www.callbruno.com/en/404 Just treat me like an adult and tell me what's wrong. Preferably with a googleable error code.
ChatGPT seriously hurts me by apologizing all the time. Every time I ask it anything, let alone tell it about its mistake I want it to correct, I feel like I'm exploiting, abusing and hurting an insecure kid. So no, I want a machine to speak with cold, objective, concise factual style, not trying to mimic an overly polite person.