Designing the Moment: Web Interface Design Concepts in Action

Chapter 31. Letting Them Go

Sadly, not everyone will love our work, no matter how good it is. Shocking, I know, but it’s true. Even after we’ve done all we can to convince users to sign up, taught them to use the application through instructive and self-evident interaction design, provided loads of value, made data management as simple as possible, and even worked to dust off the dusty users, sometimes customers bail out once and for all.

And although this should be a sad moment, considered a mark in the Lose column, we usually have no idea when it happens. We don’t have real-time alerts to tell us when someone has canceled an account. We don’t look over their shoulders to witness the experiences that lead up to this fateful moment. To the contrary, ...