UX Matters – Yes I’m sure.

Shawn Keene

Sr. IT Systems Engineer

October 7, 2026

Off Topic

Confirmation dialogs are frequently overused for non-permanent actions, such as deleting recoverable messages.

You swipe a message. A dialog appears. “Delete this conversation?” You tap Delete. The message goes away.

Congratulations, you just did the same thing twice.

Confirmation dialogs exist for a reason: to protect you from an action you can’t take back. Formatting a drive. Emptying the recycle bin. Permanently deleting an account. Those deserve a speed bump.

Deleting a text message in an app that keeps deleted messages around for 30 days is not that.

Consider for example that Microsoft got rid of Recycle Confirmation years ago for simply sending a file to the trash, but if you actually try to permanently delete something by holding shift while deleting/dragging to the bin, that will solicit a proper warning. This is the way, people.

The safety net is already there

Both Gmail and Google Messages have a Trash. Gmail even shows an Undo option at the bottom of the screen the instant you delete something. The app has already provided a way out, and then it asks you for permission anyway. That’s a belt, suspenders, and a second belt.

I forgot this undo opportunity is presented on what they call the *snackbar*.

An undo option is a better safeguard than a confirmation prompt:

Confirmation dialogs get dismissed on autopilot. After the tenth “Are you sure?”, your thumb taps Delete before your brain reads the question. The prompt protects no one, because people stop reading it.
Undo works after you realize your mistake. A dialog asks you to predict you’ll regret something. Undo lets you discover you regret it and fix it, which is how mistakes actually work.
Friction adds up. If you clear out a dozen messages, that’s a dozen extra taps and a dozen interruptions. It slows you down for zero benefit.

A simple rule

Before adding a confirmation dialog, ask two questions:

Is the action destructive, meaning it can’t be reversed?
Is there no undo or trash to recover from?

If the answer to either is no, skip the dialog. Do the thing, then offer a quick way to reverse it. Save the modal for the moments that really matter, so people still pay attention when it shows up.

Good UX respects that the person tapping Delete meant to tap Delete.

Yes, I’m sure I want to do that.

Post by:

Shawn Keene

Shawn is a Sr. IT Systems Engineer and UX enthusiast. He creates apps and sites, writes (mostly) about technology, and empowers others to excel with digital tools.