File workflows playbooks
Help people upload, process, preview, and retrieve files with clear outcomes. Choose a scenario, then the decision you need to make.
Interrupted upload cannot resume at the right offset
A file transfer loses connectivity and the next attempt restarts, skips bytes, or cannot reconcile client and server progress.
Canceling an upload leaves an unclear artifact
A user cancels a file transfer but the interface and stored state disagree about whether partial data remains.
- Triage an upload cancellation with an unclear artifact state
- Prioritize upload cancellation confusion by artifact consequence
- Investigate upload cancellation races and partial artifacts
- Verify upload cancellation states after every response ordering
- Learn from recurring upload cancellation artifact confusion
Upload progress stops while bytes continue
A transfer is active but its progress display stops updating or reaches a misleading terminal value.
Upload chunks are rejected or assemble incorrectly
Chunked transfer fails because the declared size, offset, or byte range does not match what the receiver accepts.
File validation finishes long after upload
A file reaches the server but the user cannot tell whether validation is pending, rejected, or complete.
Network loss leaves upload recovery ambiguous
A connection interruption leaves the user unsure whether to resume, restart, wait, or discard the upload.
File type hints disagree with server validation
The picker hint or filename suggests one type while the uploaded content is classified differently by the receiving system.
File size limit appears only after transfer
A user discovers a size limit after spending time selecting or uploading a file.
Repeated previews keep consuming memory
Selecting and removing many files leaves preview resources or decoded data alive after the user no longer needs them.
Preview orientation differs from the final file
A local preview looks upright or rotated differently from the processed file because orientation metadata is handled at different boundaries.
Preview generation delays file selection
A selected file appears unready because decoding, thumbnail creation, or metadata work completes later than the selection event.
Download link expires before the file is used
A temporary file link becomes unusable between issuance and the reader's click or while a download is starting.
Downloaded filename does not match the document
The saved name differs from the visible document name or loses meaningful characters when the response is downloaded.
Large download cannot resume after interruption
A reader pauses or loses connectivity during a large download and the next request restarts or combines incompatible bytes.
Downloaded bytes do not match the selected document
A download completes but the response belongs to another revision, type, or document than the reader selected.
Document processing status skips important states
An uploaded document moves from transfer complete to a vague final state without exposing whether parsing, conversion, or indexing is pending.
Document processing stage gives no useful next action
A document can be processing or failed, but the interface does not explain what the person can safely do next.
Expected document derivative is missing
A source document is present but a promised preview, text extraction, or converted file is absent or detached from its processing state.
Document processing output format drifts
The same input produces different format, metadata, or rendering behavior across processing runs or versions.
Processed document loses accessible status or text
A document preview or processing result communicates visual output but does not expose status, text, or controls to assistive technology.
- Triage processed document accessibility status and text gaps
- Prioritize processed document accessibility gaps by blocked task
- Investigate accessibility loss in processed document outputs
- Verify processed document status, text, and controls are accessible
- Learn from recurring processed document accessibility gaps