Scary User Experiences You’ve Likely Encountered — Halloween Edition
Oh, enter if you dare! This blog strives to take you on a spine-tingling roller-coaster of scary memories. Buckle up reader…
- Losing painstakingly created data by using Ctrl+Z without the possibility of Ctrl+Y (Undo without Redo)
This happened to me while organizing a file on Windows. I cut-pasted it into a folder, only to realize it was the wrong folder. Instead of copying and pasting it again, I reflexively pressed Ctrl-Z in an attempt to undo my action. The file disappeared, of course, and I quickly typed Ctrl-Y to try to bring it back. To my horror, nothing appeared. I clicked ‘Paste’ again, only to find that another file was pasted. It was then that I remembered I had copied something else in between, and the previous file was lost. It still haunts me to this day.
Never Cut- always Copy! :(
2. Clicking ‘Delete’ directly deletes the data without asking for confirmation
Delete buttons are typically represented by dustbin icons. One day, while working on a table, I encountered a situation where the delete and edit icons were placed right next to each other. In a moment of distraction, I mistakenly clicked on the delete icon instead of edit and the item got deleted right away- without confirmation, without undo.
3. Accidentally posting something personal on group chat instead of DM
And it's even worse when you don't realize it on time and someone from the group lets you know!
4. Selecting items one by one due to the absence of a multi-select option
One time, the ‘Select All’ option was tucked away inside the hamburger menu on the mobile display. I ended up performing redundant tasks more than thirty times, one by one!
5. When copy-pasting hundreds of files fails midway
Imagine the frustration of attempting to copy and paste more than a thousand image files, only to have the process fail midway, leaving you with an absolutely incomplete mess.
6. Your phone unexpectedly rings right in the middle of a task
Imagine you are deeply engrossed in writing a post on your phone and you are nearly finished when your phone rings. You hastily end the call, only to find the post gone, and your progress wasn’t even saved...
7. Saying something inappropriate while not being on mute during an online meeting
It’s an embarrassment unlike any other when you have not Muted the call when attending an online meeting and say something inappropriate!
8. Amount gets deducted from your bank account but the app says “Payment failed”
Imagine you’re on a shopping website, in the process of making a payment. You receive a message confirming the deduction of the amount from your account, but on the shopping website, the payment isn’t reflected. After a while, it displays ‘Payment Failed,’ sending a lump in your throat.
9. The Internet drops out right in the midst of a thrilling movie scene
The title is enough to explain the horror.
10. Wanting to unsubscribe desperately but the app is doing its best to not let you
This happened to me on Audible. Over time, I had accumulated 6 credit points, which I could use to purchase audiobooks. Having already acquired all my favorite titles and lacking time to explore new options, I decided to unsubscribe from the membership. However, I struggled to locate the unsubscribe option, and secondly, I discovered that I would lose all my credit points, which I had essentially paid for if I chose to unsubscribe.
11. Losing a discount coupon because you clicked back from the payments page
I had a coupon on an e-commerce website that I wanted to use while purchasing an item. During the payment process, I clicked ‘back’ to clarify something, and when I returned to complete the payment, I noticed that the total amount had increased. Realized in utter disappointment that the coupon was expired.
12. Side lock button on the iPhone causing the ongoing call to disconnect instead of turning off the screen
This situation is especially common for people who have switched from Android to iPhones. When the phone is against your ear during a call, and the screen lights up, it’s a common habit for Android users to press the lock button to turn the screen off. However, on an iPhone, doing this actually disconnects the call. After a few frustrated call drops, I just went and disabled the annoying feature.
13. Accidentally changing the language and not understanding how to switch it back
A few years ago, on an older Android version, I accidentally changed the language from English to one that I absolutely did not understand. On top of that, I clicked Home. Took me some time to get the mobile back to being legible.
And that’s 13 scary UX stories! A perfectly ominous number for this Halloween Edition…
But worry not, because all the above inconveniences can be solved by following simple UX principles… Follow for more and a happy Halloween!
