Test it. Break it. Understand it.
Module 5 / Lesson 4

The unhappy path is a feature

Design for invalid input, repeated actions and unavailable services.

15 minutes

Name the failure classes

An invalid input needs correction. An expired session needs sign-in. A temporary upstream failure may permit retry. A permission failure should not be retried as if it were a network blip.

Verify the consequence

For each failure, decide what data remains, what the user sees and whether another attempt is safe. Keep prior input when useful and avoid showing stale information as if it were freshly confirmed.