The user stops an unsuccessful or unwanted sequence.
- U → A: Abort signal (e.g., “Never mind,” “Stop,” “Cancel”).
- A: Immediately halt the current sequence; summarize what (if anything) changed.
- A: Offer safe next steps: start over, choose a different path, or open help.
- U (Optional): Sequence closer or transition.
- Treat abort as a clean exit with no pressure to continue.
- Offer non-destructive options (save draft, keep collected info, undo changes).
- Avoid “are you sure?” unless action is irreversible or costly.
Repair affordances
Not a repair; provide undo and restore affordances when relevant.
Metrics
Abort rate per activity; salvage rate (draft saved, alternate path taken).
Related patterns
Enables
- Conversation — the actor stops an unwanted or failing sequence mid-exchange — the conversational stop, not a process kill
Complements
- Live presentation — the user-side stop depends on the surface having a quiet resting state to land in
Alternatives
- Closing — the clean alternative when a session ends intentionally rather than by abandonment
Related
- Undo — related non-destructive exit; offer undo and restore affordances when state has been modified
Preceded by
- Opening (Bot) — abort can occur immediately after a bot-initiated opening
- Opening (User) — abort can occur immediately after a user-initiated opening