Frame Progress as Milestones, Not Remaining Work
SHOULD: Chunk long task lists into a handful of named phases and show the current one ("Complete Phase 1 of 4") rather than leading with remaining work ("10 / 47 tasks complete"), which makes the 37 unfinished items the salient fact. Collapse finished phases into a done marker; keep the honest total reachable, just do not lead with it.
Group a long task list into named phases so progress reads as ground gained rather than debt outstanding
Bad
Good
Why it matters
This one comes from Josh Puckett's Interface Craft, and it is purely about framing: the underlying progress is identical, only the sentence changes. "10 / 47 complete" is mathematically accurate and motivationally hostile — it makes the 37 unfinished items the salient fact, and each completed task moves the bar by two percent, which reads as futility. Chunk the same work into a handful of named phases, show only the current one, and collapse finished phases into a done marker so the remaining work visibly shrinks as the user advances. Keep the honest total reachable for anyone who wants it, but do not lead with it.