stuckat

Stuckat is a neologism used in discussions of user experience and interaction design to describe a state in which a user cannot progress through a task due to design-related barriers. The term is typically used to refer to moments where a user remains on a single screen or step because goals are unclear, feedback is missing or misinterpreted, or controls are confusing.

Etymology and usage: The word is a blend of stuck and at, signaling that the user has become stuck while attempting to reach a specific point in a workflow. It emerged in online UX forums and practitioner communities in the early 2020s and has since appeared in usability reports and design guidelines.

Characteristics: Stuckat often involves ambiguous affordances, poor error handling, long or repetitive forms, or step-dependent gating that blocks progress without justification. It is distinct from general frustration or boredom in that it specifically halts task completion.

Implications: In product development, identifying stuckat moments can help prioritize usability fixes, reduce funnel drop-off, and improve task success rates. Analysts may look for repeated patterns across users, such as multiple users hitting a non-actionable error state or indefinite loading with no next-step suggestion.

Mitigation strategies: Improve goal clarity, provide inline guidance, ensure actionable and timely feedback, allow easy undo and backtracking, and add progress indicators. Conduct usability testing focused on critical paths to uncover stuckat points.

See also: Usability; User experience; Cognitive load; Onboarding; Design feedback.