Everyone knows how frustrating it is when you delete something you didn’t mean to delete. Whatever gets deleted is usually gone forever and the user is back to where they started. This is why it’s important to have confirmation windows when a user tries to delete.
However, your confirmation window could still have users accidentally deleting. Sometimes users don’t read the confirmation dialog and just push the button because it’s easier. Sometimes they think they can undo their delete, so they don’t give it much thought. Sometimes they actually read the dialog, but accidentally click the delete button when they meant to click cancel.
Whatever the case, users can make mistakes on confirmation windows. If the user is about to delete something important that they will never get back, it’s important that you make sure users are absolutely certain before they continue. Instead of giving users a confirmation button that they could mistakenly press, give them a text field and ask them to type the word “delete” to confirm.
When the user types “delete” in the text field, there is no doubt that they want to delete. There is no accidental pressing of the delete button. There is no regret when the user deletes, because the confirmation text field makes them certain about what they’re going to do before they do it.
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