404 Error page – guidelines and examples
I was working on a web-based application that needed a custom 404 Error page, so out of curiosity I got online to see what some of big players in the industry (who also have huge teams of usability and user experience people) have done.
So what is a 404 Error Message?
404 error message is a web page displayed by most web servers when it is unable to find the original page that the user requested. For example: If John request for http://www.yahoo.com/mail.html on Yahoo.com and if the page does not exists or has moved, Yahoo’s server will by default show an alternative basic page which is a 404 Error page, unless this has been modified or customized.
The basic guidelines for error messages are:
1. Error message should be written in plain english so all users should be able to understand it’s meaning.
2. The message should explain the user why they are seeing this page.
3. And finally, the message should suggest the user what steps she/he can take to fix it.
To my surprise, some of these big players have done a lousy job to follow these guidelines. Let’s take a look at some samples.
Google – Does NOT follow usability guidelines
Monster – Does NOT follow usability guidelines (worst 404 page I’ve ever seen)
Staples – Does NOT follow usability guidelines (Staples doesn’t show any page, just redirects to the homepage)
Yahoo – Follows usability guidelines (Redirects user to homepage after 10 secs)
MSN – Follows usability guidelines
Useit – Follows usability guidelines
Here is a sample of basic 404 error page displayed by IIS (Internet Information Server by Microsoft):
