Samantha Ingram
A 20+ year veteran of the UX Industry,
directing righteous indignation at everyday usability violations.
Encores are meant to feel like a surprise gift to the audience. In practice, they’re predictable and performative - a delightful gesture that could’ve been designed into the experience from the start.
UX Violations
Violation: Match Between System and the Real World
Performative pretend violates natural mapping
Encores are a break from natural expectations. The show “ends,” but everyone knows it hasn’t. It’s a scripted illusion that disrupts the mental model — the audience understands they’re being nudged into a ritual rather than receiving something spontaneous.
It’s like a fake logout button that brings you back for one more prompt.
Violations: Visibility of System Status
Avoidable ambiguity violates clear system feedback
Encores leave users in limbo. Is the experience over or not? Should I wait, cheer, leave? This is a classic failure in communicating status.
Like a checkout process that never confirms your payment went through.
Violation: Efficiency of Use
Disrespects time and impedes efficient completion
Encores feel tacked on — like a redundant confirmation step after task completion. The emotional “endpoint” has passed, but the system re-engages without a clear benefit. It disrupts the flow, adds steps, and breaks the arc.
It’s like watching a progress bar freeze at 99% and wondering if you should just pull the plug.
Violation: User Control and Freedom
False feedback loops deny users the information needed for informed decisions
Applause-for-an-encore mimics a feedback loop, but it’s performative — not actionable. It doesn’t influence the outcome; it fulfills an expected ritual.
It’s like designing a suggestion box that's really a trash can.
How to improve the UX
Fix the Mismatch Between Expectation and Reality
Don't say goodbye if you don't mean it
Build the “encore” songs into the planned journey — no fake goodbyes. Let the experience end naturally and with intention, not as a trick. The audience’s mental model should match the actual structure.
Restore Visibility + Reduce Ambiguity
This is your progress indicator. You’re keeping the audience apprised of what's happening
Make the transition clear. A shift in lighting, a short musical interlude signals that the experience is shifting, not ending.
Provide a Clear Closure Signal
Closure reduces second-guessing and respects the user’s time.
Just like apps shows confirmation after submission, end your show with a clear “Done.” Kill the lights. Thank the audience. Show a visual or auditory indicator that signals emotional and literal closure.
Change Management
Helping audiences transition from “ritual” to intentional experience
Set Expectations Early
Let people know upfront that the show has been reimagined to flow differently, enhancing the experience.
Deliver the Emotion, Not the Format
Preserving the effect, redesigning the mechanism
People don’t love the encore because it’s a surprise — they love it because it feels generous. So keep the emotional beat (e.g. “one more song”), but deliver it as part of the planned arc. You’re not taking something away — you’re just designing it better.
Make It Feel Designed, Not Denied
Instead of skipping the encore and walking off cold, frame the new format as something deliberate and thoughtful:
This reinforces consistency and standards and replaces ambiguity with clarity. It also appeals to those who appreciate intentionality.
Signal the Shift with Design Cues
Just as you would use visual transitions in an interface, use lighting, sound, or stage positioning to show that the “final act” has begun — even if no one left the stage.
This draws on recognition over recall — let the environment guide the experience rather than relying on the audience to guess what’s happening.
Acknowledge Tradition, But Offer a Better Pattern
Don’t shame the old way. In fact, reference it — then show how the new approach respects the same values while improving flow.
“You won’t need to chant for ‘one more song’ — it’s already here, just designed with purpose.”
This frames the shift as evolution, not rebellion.
