I'm creating an app that basically saves links (URLs), resulting in a list of links.
I'm deciding on what to do with double entries, a link the user is trying to save that is already on the list.
I came up with two potential options:
1. Show a message the URL is already saved and do nothing
2. Add the entry to the top of the page and remove the entry as if it's a new entry
The most straightforward option is option one. But I'm thinking going for option number two. My reasoning is that the user has forgotten he already added the link sometime earlier. He thinks he is adding a new, unique link and his expectations are accordingly. My idea is to keep him in vain and not confront him with an error that kind of leaves him hanging, leaving him to search for the link wherever on the list. There will be a search functionality, but my fear is it will still leave the user with some frustration.
I've thought about combining the two. Give the user an error message and move the existing entry to the top (where new entries are added). But what then, the entry is added, kind of like the user expected, and an error is thrown. I think it's like saying to the user "it worked, kind of. You did something wrong, but it worked".
I think I'm in search of some validation. Or perhaps some other ideas.
This conundrum has proven to be quite hard to test in this stage of my project. I have no real users yet and I don't think I can make a test subject enter a link, forget he entered it, and let him try and add it again.
So. Am I on the right track with this or am I missing something?