As UX designers, we always design for the ideal scenarios and expect the user to use them as we believe. However, imagine a scenario where things do not go as you assumed.
Suppose you designed a field to input customers’ names in a form. The speciality of this field is it does not accept special characters. Sounds reasonable, right? Who would have a special character in their names? You expect common names like John Doe to fill that form.
Nonetheless, you encounter a customer by the name of John Reece-smith. How will that customer feel when they can’t enter their real name on the form when it does not accept the hyphen in their name?
We know it is a minority, but every user deserves a pleasant user experience. As a result, this 1% of cases could hurt us in the long run, and we must become aware of what is known as edge cases.
Why should we prepare for the unexpected edge cases?
As a designer, we look to get better and ensure quality assurance for our users. It is normal to design for normal circumstances and other cases because it is our primary task. However, we have to sometimes look beyond and consider unpredictable scenarios because it does happen more than we believe.
I know what you are thinking. It is challenging to think deeply and draw out possible scenarios where such things happen. However, when you have a robust design that combats any difficulty the user experiences or guides them to a possible solution, your app earns more credibility and onboards more users.
Furthermore, it would recognize specific technical issues we may have from our side that might be impacting our business.
Types of Edge Cases
Now, let us understand the different types and examples of edge cases that you may not be familiar with:
- Error states
Let us rewind to our John Reece-smith example. It is a typical error when the system does not validate their input. It is not the user’s fault, but it is our job to let them know about it. In addition, we must think about any possible scenario where it can go wrong by keeping in mind different names globally.
Few ways to fix them:
Utilize animation in your design. E.g., Making the field wobble left-to-right to grab the user’s attention instantly when something has gone wrong.
Ensure the error message is displayed clearly. Considering the user is already surprised by the error, use a simple and friendly tone in your texts.
Display a visual sign that links to where the error takes place. Do not remove the visuals, so users have enough time to digest the information.
Provide a solution either in written text or direct them to an alternate page.
- Empty states
At certain times, there are situations where your screen might have no content to display for that moment. E.g., when you install a fitness app and go to current plans, it is blank because you are a beginner. However, it is necessary not to leave users hanging by a blank screen or empty state alone and inform them about why it is blank.
Few ways to fix them:
Display written text informing the user about the space. E.g., “You have no diet plans currently.”
Add fun and friendly images to grab the user’s attention and let them see the funny side of it after encountering such space.
Educate the user on why they confronted an empty space and provide them with possible solutions. It makes your app look more professional.
Finally, establish a call-to-action to make users initiate an action to manipulate that space. E.g., “Add a new diet plan”
- Search engine errors
It is common in search engine results. When a user inputs a term not recognized by the system, it displays 0 results. The downfall of showing 0 results is, it affects your profits, especially for an e-commerce business. Users should not go straight to a dead-end but instead, kept engaged with the interface.
Few ways to fix them:
Display in written text what went wrong using simple language.
Put a helpline number to contact management if they cannot find something they are looking for.
Display an alternate suggestion for their query. Google does a great job whenever we make a typo. E.g., “Did you mean……so and so?”
Promote other products or content. Top e-commerce giants like Amazon are the master of this tactic. They promote the most relevant or featured thing close to the customer’s query to keep them shopping.
- Exceeding threshold capacity
You will have scenarios when you design a field that displays full names up to 30-40 characters. But we have to assume some names go up to 100 characters and beyond. (Trust me! There are.)
Or take another scenario where you can upload 50GB worth of media content, but there might be situations where someone uploads 150GB+ in that system.
Few ways to fix them:
Modify the design elements so that the data fits and displays clearly. E.g., the field enlarges and shows that long name.
Notify them of the possible error with concise text and visual signs.
Present them with possible solutions to fix them using simple language. Moreover, guide them to a helpline to contact you to resolve the issue.
Should we invest our time designing for Edge Cases?
You may wonder if it is worth investing all your time and energy to fix rare cases while your main job is to design for the most common user flows. You have a point, but it is reasonable to always prepare for unexpected situations. It all depends on:
Your priorities
Identify and work with the management if this edge case affects your brand. Prioritizing each edge case makes tasks more organized for designers.
Status of the company
Are you a well-established company with ample resources or an emerging start-up? If you are a start-up, you have other priorities to consider, and you are looking to grow your customer base with a smaller infrastructure. Whereas if you are an enterprise, you have enough time and resources to deal with the case.
The product
Is your product the main driver for your business revenue, or is it a small piece of that pie? It may be more crucial to fix edge cases immediately if your product is the primary source of revenue for the business.
Be the Nostradamus of your design….
It takes a fine eye to identify and predict possible edge cases in UX design. If you can consistently spot and resolve edge cases, it only guarantees a better-quality experience for users.
It is important to prioritize which edge cases need fixing and which do not when working with limited resources. Moreover, continuous user testing provides you with rare situations and insights before deploying the app in the market.
Ensure your interface is well-equipped to deal with any unforeseen challenges.