Confront the User

Summary: Interrupting automatic behavior of the player by presenting unexpected information or triggering prompts.

Pattern Description

Confront the User challenges the ongoing action or intention of the user. The system gives the user warnings, reflective questions or reframes information. The goal is to break automatic behavior and prevent cognitive biases. By leveraging the fact that the user doesn’t want to regret later and surfacing potential risks or overlooked consequences, the system encourages conscious decision-making and reduces impulsivity.

Interaction Design Implications

This pattern introduces a medium level of intervention. By intentionally slowing down interactions, it neglects the principle of “flow”. It prioritizes informed consent and prevents unconscious decisions, while sacrificing a certain level of seamlessness.

Usage

Designers can use this pattern when there is a risk of automatic or impulsive behaviour of the user. It can be implemented in a form of alerts on digital platforms that ask the user to confirm actions before proceeding, especially in contexts where there is a risk of future regret. These alerts function as a deliberate interruption of the automatic decision-making process, prompting the user to reconsider their choice in light of new information or a more thoughtful assessment of the risk. Some of the contexts relevant for this pattern: time misperception, infinite scroll, acceptance of terms, financial decisions.

Examples

Examples to be determined

Metadata & Relations

  PAGE STATUS: Needs Review