Resolve Conflicting Document Edits
Design a conflict-resolution flow that helps collaborators reconcile overlapping document changes without hiding authorship or losing work.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Real-time editing handles many simultaneous changes, but conflicts still occur after offline work, permission changes, imports, or structural edits. A generic save error leaves people unsure which version survived.
User context
Mateo edited a proposal during a flight. When he reconnects, his rewritten timeline conflicts with changes that Erin made to the same section and comments added by a reviewer.
Product problem
Writers need to understand exactly what conflicts, preserve unaffected edits, and agree on a merged version without reading raw change data.
Objective
Create a focused comparison and merge experience for one conflicted document section.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Recognize that offline edits conflict with the current document
- Compare changes with authorship and timing context
- Accept, combine, or defer individual conflict blocks
- Save a resolved version and notify affected collaborators
Screens and states
- Conflict alert
- Side-by-side comparison
- Merge review
- Resolved version confirmation
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Mateo reconnects and sees that his local version was preserved but not published
- 02
He opens the conflicting timeline section and compares both versions
- 03
He keeps Erin's dates, incorporates his rationale, and preserves the review comment
- 04
He previews the merged section and saves it as the latest version
- 05
Erin receives a concise summary with a link to the version history
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Preserve both complete versions until resolution is confirmed
- Distinguish conflicting changes from edits that can merge automatically
- Keep comments, suggestions, and formatting attached to the correct text
- Allow a collaborator to postpone resolution without blocking access to a safe copy
- Create a named version entry for the merge result
Constraints
- The experience must remain usable for long paragraphs without horizontal scrolling
- Only users with edit permission can publish the resolution
- The document cannot be locked for all readers during review
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Four responsive screens resolving one text conflict and one deleted-section conflict
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.
Updock & Source Serif Pro
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.
Updock & Source Serif Pro
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.
Theory to review
UX principles for this brief
Use these as decision lenses, then validate the design with the people and context in the brief.
