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forgiveness-confirmation-and-prevention

Use this skill when the user must commit to an irreversible or high-stakes action and reversibility isn't enough — confirmation dialogs, type-to-confirm patterns, password re-entry, two-step authentication for destructive actions, and structural prevention that makes the wrong action impossible. Trigger when designing destructive flows for genuinely-irreversible commitments, when reviewing confirmation fatigue, or when picking between a single confirm dialog and a multi-step verification. Sub-aspect of `forgiveness`; read that first.

plugins/HDeibler/universal-design-principles/plugins/interaction-and-control-principles/skills/forgiveness-confirmation-and-prevention/SKILL.md

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# Forgiveness through confirmation and prevention

When an action can't be made reversible, the next-best forgiveness is requiring deliberate intent. The user must take an explicit, considered step before the irreversible thing happens. The challenge: confirmation overuse trains users to dismiss it on autopilot, defeating the purpose. Confirmation must be reserved for the moments when it earns its friction.

## When confirmation is appropriate

A useful test before adding confirmation: is the action irreversible *and* high-stakes?

- **Irreversible + high-stakes** → confirm. (Account deletion, ownership transfer, large financial transaction.)
- **Reversible + high-stakes** → use undo / soft-delete instead. Confirmation here is fatigue-inducing.
- **Irreversible + low-stakes** → consider whether it should be reversible. If it must be irreversible, a light confirmation may suffice.
- **Reversible + low-stakes** → no confirmation. Just do it; let undo catch mistakes.

## Confirmation strength