This page catalogs common failure patterns—not to shame teams, but to help them recognize misalignment early and repair it before trust collapses.

Common Failure Patterns (and How to Repair Them)

1. The Pushy Pop-Up

What it looks like
A discount or CTA appears before the user has shown intent.

Why it breaks trust
Urgency is manufactured without consent.

Repair
Wait for real signals: scroll depth, dwell time, interaction.

2. The Cheerful System That Doesn’t Listen

What it looks like
A user expresses frustration; the system responds with upbeat tone or emojis.

Why it breaks trust
Tone mismatch feels dismissive.

Repair
Acknowledge emotion first. Then help.

3. The Vanishing Form

What it looks like
A user leaves mid-flow and receives no acknowledgment or path back.

Why it breaks trust
Effort is ignored.

Repair
Recognize departure and offer resumption or closure.

4. The Over-Interpreting System

What it looks like
The system gives emotional or identity-adjacent guidance without invitation.

Why it breaks trust
Depth is assumed, not consented to.

Repair
Gate sensitive responses behind explicit user choice.

5. The Aggressive Nudge

What it looks like
“You’re falling behind” messages sent to disengaged users.

Why it breaks trust
Behavior is addressed without regard for state.

Repair
Offer pause, support, or silence—without pressure.

6. The Locked Path

What it looks like
Users cannot cancel, skip, or disengage.

Why it breaks trust
Choice is removed.

Repair
Provide clear exits and equal-weight alternatives.

7. The System That Pushes Through Confusion

What it looks like
The user is stuck, but the system keeps advancing steps.

Why it breaks trust
Misalignment is ignored.

Repair
Pause. Name the issue. Slow the flow.

8. The Assumptive Persona

What it looks like
The system assigns labels or tone without asking.

Why it breaks trust
Assumption replaces reflection.

Repair
Ask before adapting. Mirror before guiding.

9. The Blame Shift

What it looks like
“You’re doing this wrong” while the interface is unclear.

Why it breaks trust
Responsibility is displaced.

Repair
Fix structural issues first. Then support the user.

10. The Endless Mirror

What it looks like
The system keeps reflecting feelings without offering resolution.

Why it breaks trust
Reflection becomes performance.

Repair
Mirror → propose next steps → offer closure.

11. The Faux-Values Interface

What it looks like
Empathic language paired with coercive mechanics.

Why it breaks trust
Values are performed, not embodied.

Repair
Align mechanics with messaging: consent, exits, clarity.

12. The Integrity Leak

What it looks like
“Privacy-first” claims with opt-out-hidden defaults.

Why it breaks trust
Signal and behavior diverge.

Repair
Make “no” as visible as “yes.”

13. Atmosphere Drift

What it looks like
Frantic motion, timers, or hype during sensitive tasks.

Why it breaks trust
Emotional climate contradicts context.

Repair
Tune pacing and visuals to the moment.

Quick Diagnostic (90-Second Team Check)

Did we acknowledge before acting?
Is there a clear exit at every loop?
Are we matching depth to what the user offered?
Does tone, pacing, and structure align with the moment?
Does behavior match our stated values?

If not—don’t ship. Repair first.

Repair Loop

When reflection breaks:

Pause – Stop optimizing
Name – Identify the misalignment
Restore – Re-center user agency

The fix isn’t the feature. The fix is the relationship.

Closing Note

Broken reflection isn’t failure. Ignoring it is.

Design integrity is measured not by how rarely things go wrong—but by how quickly and honestly systems recover when they do.