Severity InspectHigh

The Hornet

Painful interactions that spread fast.

High severity means users can still finish the journey, but the experience is difficult enough to create churn, fatigue, and repeated support overhead.

High friction

Interactions are technically possible but physically or cognitively taxing.

Recurring pattern

The same issue appears across many components and pages.

Abandonment risk

Users can finish, but many will drop off before completion.

Escalates quickly

Left unchecked, this tier commonly creates Critical defects over time.

High

USGS

Inspection Snapshot

User impact: Can continue, with pain; Tasks remain possible but cost much more effort.
Pattern risk: Usually systemic; One finding often implies many copies.
Response target: Current sprint; Address quickly before friction spreads.

Inspector Notes

Hornet-tier issues are swarm problems. A single painful interaction often signals a design-system level pattern that repeats everywhere.

These defects should be fixed in structured batches: update the shared component, then verify all consuming flows so pain is removed at scale.

Field Notes: Hornet

•Hornets can sting repeatedly and defend territory aggressively.
•They communicate risk through chemical signals that trigger group behavior.
•A single hornet can trigger a wider coordinated response.
•Their attacks are painful even when not immediately life-threatening.
•Most danger comes from repeated contact, not one isolated event.

Typical Findings In This Tier

Examples your audit team is likely to classify here.

Tiny touch targets

Buttons and controls are difficult to activate for users with motor limitations.

Low visual contrast

Text is technically visible but causes strain and missed information.

Auto-playing media

Unexpected motion or sound disrupts focus and assistive technology context.

Aggressive time limits

Users are forced to rush or restart while completing multi-step tasks.

Fix Focus

Keep remediation practical and measurable.

Map the pattern

Document where the same high-friction behavior appears across the product.

Fix at component level

Patch shared UI primitives first to remove repeated pain in one release.

Regression sweep

Run targeted checks on all affected screens to confirm the swarm is gone.

"If users must fight the interface to succeed, that is not acceptable access."
p15r triage standard

Jump To Another Tier

All tiers

Assassin

Critical

Hornet

High

Mosquito

Medium

Ladybug

Low

Assassin Mosquito