Summary: What begins as a cryptic error message reveals something much deeper about how we design user systems, communicate problems, and recognize service limitations. "Unfortunately, the text you provided does not contain a main story to be extracted and rewritten..." may not look like much at first glance—but it highlights a fundamental tension in today’s product experience: transparency vs. usability, automation vs. support, verbosity vs. clarity.
Failure Is Meaningful: Even JSON Error Messages Carry Weight
"Unfortunately, the text you provided does not contain a main story to be extracted and rewritten..." This line comes from an automated system attempting to parse content provided by a user—likely in the context of a user interface connected to some kind of content processor. Perhaps AI-based. Perhaps not. The message goes on to explain that the input appears to be a JSON error, signaling that the system isn’t broken—it just doesn’t understand what it was given. There’s no narrative to process. What’s the user supposed to do with that?
Without sufficient context, this error is a cul-de-sac. From a user experience standpoint, it’s a dead end with a polite apology painted over the brick wall—“insufficient account balance,” “please recharge,” “cannot parse.” It all comes down to one thing: we expect systems to work, and when they don’t, we want someone—or something—to help us understand why and what to do next.
Let’s pause here. Why do so many systems meet users with silence or cold explanations instead of clarity and action?
Error Messages Are Conversations
An error message is a micro-conversation: a high-friction moment where design either builds user trust or destroys it. This particular error—"Unfortunately, the text you provided…"—is a missed opportunity to guide, reassure, and educate. Instead, it announces failure without unpacking the cause in human terms.
Let me mirror a piece of the message: “insufficient account balance to run a particular query.” That’s a billing and access problem. But who owns it? Is it the user’s oversight or the system’s lack of proactive communication? It doesn’t give you an option. It simply places the burden back on the customer.
That’s not just unhelpful—it ignores everything we’ve learned about user agency. Left without direction beyond “recharge your account,” the person on the other end might feel helpless, frustrated, or even blamed—and that reveals a deeper UX sin: systems that shame instead of serve.
How Do We Prevent Confusion From Becoming Churn?
From a business and marketing angle, these error messages create churn risk. They multiply support tickets. They deepen the user's perception that you overpromised and underdelivered. And in SaaS or freemium environments, that leads directly to revenue loss.
Here's where Cialdini’s concept of Reciprocity and Commitment matter. If someone has given their data, their time, and their trust in your system—the very least you owe them in return is clarity. Give value. Be specific. Tell them exactly what went wrong and what they can do next, right now.
Chris Voss taught us the power of tactical empathy in negotiation. A message like this could easily be rewritten with a “label-and-pivot” technique: acknowledge the frustration, name the barrier, and provide two simple options for action. For example:
“It looks like your current balance doesn’t support this query. That’s got to be frustrating—especially when you’re just trying to get results. Would you like to review your billing settings, or see how to modify your query to fit the current balance?”
Now the user isn’t being talked at—they’re being spoken with. And the power of “No” is preserved—they’re not forced into upgrading. Instead, they’re invited to take clear next steps. That kind of interaction builds trust and reduces friction—both useful inside negotiation and SaaS UX design.
These “Non-Stories” Reveal the Gaps in Storytelling Systems
It’s deeply ironic that the system responds, “the text does not contain a main story.” In doing so, it admits the absence of a human-centered narrative. But the user query does tell a story—it’s a frustrated person trying to solve a need and bumping up against a machine’s low-resolution dismissal.
If you're building, selling, or marketing automated systems—especially those powered by AI—you’re not just shipping code. You’re shaping decisions. You’re crafting micro-moments that either instill confidence or cause abandonment. How often do we audit those failure states, compared to our success flows?
Let’s ask bluntly: What story are you telling when your system fails?
JSON Isn’t The Problem—Silence Is
Yes, sometimes the input is just structured data. Garbage in, garbage out. But that doesn’t excuse the design strategy of saying, “Sorry, nothing here,” and expecting the user to just figure it out or go restore their balance like they’ve failed a loyalty test.
This is where behavior meets business. People don’t churn when they hit limits. They churn when they feel unseen. Delivering bad news doesn’t have to burn trust—it can build it, if done honestly and helpfully. But “Unfortunately...” followed by a dead end? That’s not honesty. That’s abandonment wrapped in politeness.
How to Turn a Broken Input Into a Better Output
Let me ask a strategic question: how would your error handling change if you treated every failed query like a second chance to earn trust?
- Instead of flat text, give two actionable options.
- Add microcopy or tooltips that preempt failure (proactive reciprocity).
- Don’t just say, “You can't do X.” Say, “Here’s what you can do now.”
- Push a call-to-action with direct copy: What do you want them to do next?
- Train your system not just to detect errors, but to serve next-step logic.
Now combine that with Voss’s approach: mirror the user’s likely emotion. Label the discomfort. Stay quiet before redirecting them. That pause makes space for reflection. An error message isn’t just a tech checkpoint—it’s one of your brand’s most revealing human moments.
No Story? No Patience.
When the system tells the user there’s no story to rewrite, what it’s really saying is, “There’s nothing valuable here.” That comment crushes momentum. And momentum is the one thing every digital product lives and dies by.
It’s not the lack of story that’s the problem. It’s the lack of response.
If your systems run into blank input, give structured choices—not aloof rejection. If your interface hits a billing wall, treat it like a fork in the path—not a roadblock. Clear language, accountability, and next actions—these drive upgrades, not blanket apologies.
The Takeaway: Even Boring Errors Tell You Everything
Let me wrap with this: every error message has persuasive power. You can turn setbacks into support, confusion into clarity, and silence into trust. That’s how resilient brands are built—by seeing even flaws as vehicles for commitment.
The system might say “no story here,” but if a human hits that wall, the story has already begun. It's up to your design—and your messaging—to decide what happens next.
#UXWriting #ErrorMessagesMatter #TrustByDesign #SaaSRetention #AIUX #CustomerMessaging #HumanCenteredDesign #ChrisVoss #Cialdini #IEEOMarketing
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and ahmad gunnaivi (OupUvbC_TEY)