I think something like algebraic effects can definitely be ergonomic and understandable, but a language definitely has to be designed for it. Algebraic effects are like exceptions in a lot of ways, so I think people will be able to understand them. See Effekt [1] and Koka [2] for languages that are designed with them in mind.
[1] https://effekt-lang.org/
[2] https://koka-lang.github.io/koka/doc/kokaspec.html