Don't Block the Exit

Bangaly discovered Instagram was losing millions of users who logged out and couldn't return. The obvious fix? Block the exit. But people needed to log out—shared phones, prepaid data. Instead of trapping people, his team lit up the return path.

Your four-year-old announces "I'M NEVER TALKING TO YOU AGAIN" because you served dinner on the wrong plate. They storm to their room. The door slams with the force of a tiny person who's been practicing dramatic exits.

Ten minutes later, they're hovering in the doorway. Hungry. Or they want to show you a drawing. This is the return path.

Don't start with "I thought you were never talking to me again?" Don't require a formal apology complete with eye contact and remorse they don't feel. Just say "Hey, want a snack?" Let them save face. Your job isn't preventing the exit. It's making sure the path back doesn't require them to eat crow they can't even identify as a bird yet.