Provide undo option
Michael Wiklund, Kimmy Ansems, Rachel Aronchick, Cory Costantino, Alix Dorfman, Brenda van Geel, Jonathan Kendler, Valerie Ng, Ruben Post, Jon Tilliss · 2019
An “undo” option can give users the confidence to explore options and work efficiently, knowing that they can reverse or cancel actions. The absence of an undo option can cause users to feel “stuck,” force users to perform cumbersome and/or dangerous work-arounds, or result in unrecoverable errors. The principle is a simple one: give users an option to “undo” wherever possible —especially in cases where not fixing a mistake might initiate a potentially dangerous action. There are many ways to enable users to undo a potentially dangerous action. Designers should carefully consider the scenario of use to determine which design is most likely to mitigate against potential use errors. Use of the undo option, in the form of “Ctrl+Z” for Windows-based applications, “Command+Z” for Macintosh-based applications, or the ubiquitous “undo arrow,” has become second nature.