UberEXAMPLE 01
Show safety support before it is needed
Uber makes ride monitoring and routes to assistance visible. The safety options provide reassurance as well as support for the uncommon situation in which someone needs help.
Visible Lifeboats
Make help and recovery easy to find.
01 / UNDERSTAND
The idea
A clearly available support or recovery option can give people confidence even when they rarely use it. Low use does not mean the control has no value. Its value may include reassurance and the ability to recover from an uncommon problem.
A recovery option can be valuable even when few people activate it. Like knowing that a ship has lifeboats, seeing help, undo or a fair cancellation route can reassure people before anything goes wrong. Low usage therefore does not establish low value. The safety net must be real, findable and capable of doing what the interface promises.
02 / RECOGNISE
See it in real products.
Examples of how the principle can appear in an interface.
BoltEXAMPLE 02
Keep recovery close to the completed activity
Bolt asks after a ride whether something was left behind and provides a way to contact the driver. Most passengers will not need it, but the option makes recovery understandable.
NikeEXAMPLE 03
Make the exit visible
Nike’s cancellation window gives buyers a visible recovery option after ordering. Explaining when and how an order can be cancelled can make the purchase feel safer.
03 / CONNECT
Why it matters.
A visible recovery route may support confidence in a risky feature and reduce anxiety. Evaluate reassurance and successful recovery as well as how often the control is clicked.
Possible influences to investigate, rather than guaranteed outcomes for every product.
04 / APPLY
Put it into practice.
- 01
Expose relevant recovery routes
- 02
Explain what can and cannot be undone
- 03
Verify that the promised help actually works
05 / EXPLORE WITH UPSLIDE
Apply it with Upslide.
Use a practical guide, read a deeper explanation, or examine a related Upslide project.
A Visual Flow Framework Before Redesigning
Test help, failure and recovery routes as part of the full journey.
Microinteraction Examples: Loading, Saving and Error Recovery
5 mins readReview loading, saving and error-recovery states using practical SaaS microinteractions.
Review UREMR’s clearer booking and report journeys as a context for locating recovery support.
CONNECT THE IDEAS
Related principles
Keep exploring
Use meaningful contrast to make one important item distinctive.
