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Confirmation and Destructive Copy

Name the object, the scope and the reversibility, then label the button with the action rather than with agreement.

Definition

Confirmation copy is the last thing read before something irreversible happens. It has to carry what will be affected, how much of it, and whether it can be undone.

Expert heuristic. A review criterion developed by practitioners. Useful and widely taught, but evaluated by judgement rather than measurement.

On this page
  1. Definition
  2. The same confirmation, three ways
  3. Decide the strength before writing the words
  4. In practice
  5. Continue from here

The same confirmation, three ways

WeakBetterBestWhy the last one wins
Are you sure?Delete this project?Delete Q3 Roadmap and its 48 tasks? This cannot be undone.Object, scope and reversibility in one sentence.
This action cannot be undoneRemoving a member is permanentRemoving Sam ends their access immediately. Their comments stay.Says what survives as well as what goes.
Cancel / OKCancel / DeleteKeep project / Delete projectBoth options name an outcome, so neither can be pressed by reflex.

Decide the strength before writing the words

Most confirmations exist because nobody decided how serious the action is. Grade it first.

  1. 1

    Reversible

    No dialog. Perform the action and offer undo in a status message.

  2. 2

    Recoverable within a window

    No dialog. Perform the action, say where it went and how long it stays there.

  3. 3

    Irreversible and significant

    A dialog naming the object, the scope and the consequence, with a labelled action button.

  4. 4

    Irreversible and catastrophic

    Type-to-confirm, so the reader has to reproduce the name of what they are destroying.

In practice

Type-to-confirm earns its friction

Deleting a production database behind a typed name is slow on purpose. The typing is not a security measure, it is a way of forcing the reader to read the name of the thing they are about to destroy.

Continue from here

Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.

Principles behind this

The reasoning this solution is an application of.

Related concept

Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.