Lemma
No. 023

UI Design

Confirmation Dialog

A confirmation dialog is a prompt that appears before a destructive or irreversible action, asking the person to approve it. It adds a deliberate pause so serious actions are not triggered by accident.

Why it matters

Some actions, like deleting an account or erasing files, cannot be undone. A clear confirmation step protects people from costly mistakes without getting in the way of everyday tasks.

In depth

A weak confirmation just asks "Are you sure?", which people learn to dismiss without reading; a strong one names exactly what will be lost. Keep the destructive and safe choices visually distinct so no one confirms by reflex, and reserve these dialogs for genuinely consequential actions, since overusing them trains people to click through. It is a type of modal focused specifically on guarding a risky decision.

Real-world example

Before permanently deleting a project, an app shows a dialog reading "Delete this project and its 38 files? This cannot be undone," with the delete option set clearly apart from cancel.

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