Product design
Design AI error states that help people recover
Explain what happened and what someone can do next without pretending to know more than the system does.
Aryan (@istmX)3 min read
Start with a clear boundary
A provider timeout, invalid tool input, and incomplete answer are different outcomes. Map each to an accurate, safe user-facing state.
Handle failure deliberately
Offer a retry when it is safe, ask for specific missing context, or preserve background work so users do not need to repeat it.
Make the result understandable
Do not present partial output as complete. Make uncertainty visible and give people a way to inspect supporting sources.