Error summary
Form submission can produce one or more errors.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 2
- Trail checked
standardForm recovery summary
Test in lab 23 documented entries 5 anti-pattern checks
Error Prevention And Recovery
Validation, undo, retry, fallback, destructive action review, and recovery paths.
Browse all problem familiesLearn the family
How does a person keep control when an action goes wrong?
Recovery begins before the error. Clear consequences, suitable constraints, preserved work, and a visible correction path reduce the cost of a mistake.
Use this method
- Name the likely error and its consequence.
- Add a cue or review step before a consequential action.
- Keep the person's work available for correction.
- Provide a specific route to retry, undo, restore, or contact support.
Compare the outcome
Strong: A document editor keeps the draft, identifies a conflicting change, and lets the person review versions before saving.
Weak: A document editor replaces the draft with a generic save error and sends the person back to an empty form.
Try it: Choose a task with a meaningful mistake and trace prevention, detection, correction, and confirmation.
Read these patterns first
- Error summaryForm submission can produce one or more errors.
- UndoThe action is common and mistakes are likely.
- RetryA load, save, submit, upload, export, sync, payment, or background request failed for a transient or uncertain reason.
Complete study route · 23 entries
Work through the family in order
Begin with the core behavior, apply it in different contexts, then review cases that reveal the quality boundary. Open each entry for its decision rule, states, example, and source trail.
0 of 23 studies complete
Start this family →6 entries
Build the foundation
Learn the shared task and the core interaction choices.
Retry
A load, save, submit, upload, export, sync, payment, or background request failed for a transient or uncertain reason.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedScoped failed-operation retry control
Test in lab Undo
The action is common and mistakes are likely.
- Type
- UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedPost-action recovery behavior
Test in lab Redo
Users perform reversible sequences of edits and can undo too far.
- Type
- UX
- Sources
- 3
- Trail checked
establishedForward edit-history replay
Test in lab Fallback path
A primary lookup, verification, upload, payment, search, device feature, online-only step, or channel can fail while the user still needs to finish.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedUser-directed alternate route when the primary path cannot complete
Test in lab Confirmation dialog
The action is destructive, irreversible, costly, security-sensitive, privacy-affecting, or externally visible.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedConsequential alert decision
Test in lab 12 entries
Apply the patterns
Choose a specialized form for the context and follow its complete behavior.
Destructive action confirmation
A user has initiated a destructive command that can permanently remove, revoke, reset, deactivate, or cancel something valuable.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
establishedFinal destructive commit review
Test in lab Typed confirmation
A severe action affects repository, project, workspace, account, production, security, billing, or organization-wide scope.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedExact target phrase gate before severe commit
Test in lab Unsaved changes prompt
A close, cancel, switch, or edit-mode exit would discard unsaved local changes.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedDirty-editor decision prompt before closing, canceling, switching, or replacing unsaved edits
Test in lab Exit warning
A route change, tab close, reload, browser Back, external link, or sign-out action can interrupt a task.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedAttempted-departure safeguard for unrecoverable in-progress work
Test in lab Autosave recovery
Autosave failed, stalled, expired, or became uncertain while users still have meaningful local work.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedRecovery surface for failed or uncertain background saves
Test in lab Version history
Users edit documents, files, pages, design files, records, configurations, or published content over time.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
establishedDurable snapshot browser for previous document, file, page, object, or configuration versions
Test in lab Restore from trash
Deleted objects remain recoverable after the user leaves the original workflow.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 3
- Trail checked
establishedDurable deleted-object recovery
Test in lab Conflict resolution
A conflict has been detected and a user must choose, merge, save-copy, skip, or commit a result.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 3
- Trail checked
standardGuided workflow for reviewing and committing conflict decisions
Test in lab Merge conflict resolver
A pull request, merge request, rebase, merge, or branch update has source-code conflicts that require developer decisions.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 3
- Trail checked
standardSource-code branch conflict resolver with file and hunk decisions
Test in lab Session timeout warning
An authenticated session can expire because of inactivity, overall lifetime, assurance policy, or reauthentication requirement.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedAuthenticated-session expiry and reauthentication boundary warning
Test in lab Permission recovery
A denied user can request access, switch accounts, ask an admin, join a group, or use a safe fallback to continue.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 3
- Trail checked
standardGuided workflow for regaining or routing around missing access
Test in lab Graceful degradation
The product can express the core task with standard controls, server-rendered content, or a simpler same-surface interaction.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
establishedReduced-capability same-surface experience that preserves the core task
Test in lab 5 entries
Review the quality risks
Study failure cases and identify the better recovery route.
Confirmation fatigue
Use this anti-pattern entry to audit products that ask for confirmation on many routine actions or use identical prompts for different levels of risk.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
anti-patternAnti-pattern where repeated low-value confirmations train users to dismiss real risk prompts automatically
Test in lab Ambiguous destructive action copy
Auditing destructive dialogs, action sheets, menu items, command palette actions, delete receipts, account cancellation flows, permission revocation, bulk actions, and high-impact execution reviews.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
anti-patternDestructive copy anti-pattern
Test in lab Disabled controls without recovery
Auditing disabled primary actions, toolbar commands, menu items, toggles, form controls, checkout actions, invite flows, publish controls, exports, destructive actions, and workflow steps.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 7
- Trail checked
anti-patternBlocked-control anti-pattern
Test in lab Fake undo
Use it when a toast undo, command undo, bulk undo, or keyboard undo may hide partial restoration, expired windows, external effects, or overwritten recovery state.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
anti-patternAnti-pattern where a recovery affordance promises undo but cannot restore the prior state
Test in lab Validation that clears user input
Use this anti-pattern entry to audit forms, editors, imports, checkouts, onboarding flows, and configuration screens where validation can erase recoverable user work.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 6
- Trail checked
anti-patternAnti-pattern where validation or failed submission destroys recoverable user-entered values
Test in lab Try another phrase
Try fewer words, clear the filter, or search across all pattern families.
Search all patterns