"A few weeks ago, I was juggling multiple projects at once, switching between files and responding to messages, when I accidentally hit "Send" halfway through drafting an email. My heart dropped initially, but then a wave of relief hit as an "Undo" button appeared. Whether it's sending a half-written email or deleting an important file that you've spent weeks working on, mistakes like these are universal. It's one of the most relatable experiences on the internet."
"The truth is, mistakes happen not because users are careless, but because attention is limited and systems are complex. A good product doesn't just prevent errors, but it makes recovery simple, predictable, and safe. Designing with recovery in mind is a mindset that involves planning for failure instead of fearing it. It's about designing for the worst-case scenario and asking, "What happens if the user gets this wrong?""
"Reversibility is one of the strongest trust signals in UX. When users can reverse an action, they feel safe. That sense of safety changes how they interact with your product. It boosts confidence, keeps them in flow, and reduces hesitation when performing actions. When people know they can recover from mistakes, they explore more, click faster, and stay focused on their goals instead of being worried about clicking the wrong thing."
Mistakes occur because attention is limited and systems are complex, not because users are careless. Good products prevent errors and make recovery simple, predictable, and safe. Designing with recovery in mind means planning for failure, designing for worst-case scenarios, and asking what happens if users get things wrong. Reversible actions such as undo, restore, and recover increase user confidence, reduce hesitation, and encourage exploration by signalling trust. Reversibility reduces support workload by preventing recoverable mistakes from becoming tickets and gives users autonomy to correct errors. A decision framework helps choose when reversible actions make sense, which type to use, and when reversibility could be unnecessary or harmful.
Read at LogRocket Blog
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