Product & design · Operations & workflows
User control and freedom.
Giving people clear ways to leave unwanted states and reverse actions when they change their minds.
Useful when a simple mistake would otherwise trap someone in a workflow.
“Preserve user control and freedom: let people cancel the draft and undo an accidental dismissal.”
A closer look
People explore, make mistakes, and reconsider choices. A visible exit or undo can support confident use without surrounding every routine action with a confirmation. Make the scope and limits of reversal accurate; an interface cannot retract an email merely by hiding it.
Put it to work
“Let users restore a hidden item from history without starting their collection again.”
A useful distinction
Undo must reverse the actual change within its stated scope, not only change the visible screen.