Our users do not read our error messages. They read the buttons.

We eye-tracked 400 users encountering our 15 most common error states.

Time spent reading error text: 0.9 seconds median
Time spent reading button labels: 2.1 seconds median
Users who could recall the error text 30 seconds later: 14%
Users who could recall the button label: 61%

Users were not reading what went wrong. They were reading what they could do about it. The message was noise.

The action was the message. Our errors were paragraphs of explanation with a generic "OK" button, which meant users were reading nothing useful and clicking nothing meaningful.

We rewrote every error to lead with the action: "Sign in again," "Resend the file," "Try a smaller file." Explanation moved below the button, for the 14% who wanted it. Successful recovery rate from errors rose from 38% to 67%.

What does your error ask users to do, and is that the first thing they see?