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Forcing function 0:59
A 59-second explainer of Forcing function, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive Forcing function demo
What this video covers
A forcing function is a design constraint that stops you proceeding until you've done the right thing, making an error physically or logically impossible rather than merely discouraged. The cash machine that won't release your money until you take your card back, or the form that won't submit until a required field is filled, both force the correct action.
Without the forcing function you sailed past the critical step and paid for it later; with it, you simply couldn't proceed until you'd done the right thing - the mistake became impossible. That's the power of a forcing function: it doesn't warn, it blocks. Reserve it for the moments where forgetting or erring really matters, because the same friction that protects people can also irritate them if overused.
