Article · 8 min read

Preventing User Errors: Avoiding Conscious Mistakes

Page Laubheimer · Nielsen Norman Group Free Intermediate

Error prevention is one of Nielsen's ten heuristics, and this unpacks how to actually do it: match the user's mental model, offer sensible defaults, and use confirmations sparingly. It also warns that constant confirm dialogs backfire and train users to click through blindly. Direct, practical support for the prevent errors part of your answer.

  • Mistakes come from a wrong mental model, so fix the model
  • Overusing confirmation dialogs makes users ignore all of them
  • Good defaults and constraints prevent errors before they start
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The question it answers

  1. What are the core UX principles every founder should know?

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