Pattern 07
Safe fallback design
Design every authentication method with a documented, tested fallback path, and surface that fallback clearly at the point of failure, not buried in a help article.
Problem
When a primary method fails (lost device, expired passkey sync, blocked SMS), many products have no graceful next step — the user is simply stuck.
Recommendation
Design every authentication method with a documented, tested fallback path, and surface that fallback clearly at the point of failure, not buried in a help article.
UX impact
Turns a dead end into a short detour, preserving trust even when the primary method breaks.
Security impact
A well-designed fallback (verified secondary channel, trusted contact) is safer than the ad-hoc workarounds support teams invent under pressure.
Implementation notes
Test fallback paths as part of every new auth-method launch, not as an afterthought once users start reporting being locked out.