People continue bad decisions because they've already invested
Definition
The tendency to continue investing in a losing proposition because of previously invested resources (time, money, or effort). Users may stick with poor solutions simply because they've already put effort into them.
Do
Acknowledge users' previous investments when proposing changes
Provide migration tools and clear transition paths
Explain future benefits that outweigh past investments
Make new solutions clearly superior to old ones
Avoid
Ignore the effort users have put into current workflows
Make switching costly or complicated
Dismiss existing solutions without showing better alternatives
Force changes without explaining long-term benefits