trust-and-recovery

# Trust and Recovery

Trust is built through predictability and tested through failure. Users trust systems that behave consistently and recover gracefully when things go wrong.

## Evidence Tiers

```
[Research]   — Peer-reviewed studies, controlled experiments
[Expert]     — Nielsen Norman Group, recognized UX authorities
[Case Study] — Documented examples from major products
[Convention] — Industry practice, limited formal validation

Multiple tags = stronger evidence: [Research][Expert]
Mixed findings noted as: [Research — Mixed]
```

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## Research Foundations

### Peak-End Rule

**[Research][Expert]** Daniel Kahneman's research (Nobel Prize in Economics, 2002) established that people judge experiences based on:

1. The **peak** moment (most intense, positive or negative)
2. The **end** (how it concluded)

They do not average the entire experience.

**UX implication:** A single graceful recovery can redeem an otherwise frustrating experience. Don't let the last interaction be an error.

**Source:** Kahneman, D. (1999). Objective happiness. In *Well-being: Foundations of hedonic psychology*.

### Loss Aversion

**[Research][Expert]** Kahneman & Tversky's Prospect Theory showed losses feel approximately 2x as painful as equivalent gains feel good.

**UX implication:** Users are highly motivated to avoid losing their work. Auto-save, undo, and data preservation are disproportionately important.

**Source:** Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk.

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## Undo vs. Confirmation Dialogs

**[Expert]** Nielsen Norman Group and multiple UX authorities recommend undo over confirmation dialogs in most cases.

### Why Confirmation Often Fails

**[Expert]** From NNg and practitioner observation:
- Users habitually click "OK" without reading
- Frequent confirmations train users to ignore them
- Confirmations interrupt flow

### When to Use Each

| Approach | Use When | Evidence |
|----------|----------|----------|
| **Undo**