Conformity with user expectations is one of the dialogue principles for user friendly design described in the standard ISO 9241-110.

Conformity with user expectations describes to which extent aninteraction with a product reflects what the user expected. Ifsomething does not happen in the way the user expected it, the usergets upset. In the worst case, the user will make errors that cannotbe undone.

For example, if a cup looks like it has a rough surface, that inreality is smooth and slippery, an inattentive user might not get agood hold on it, drop it, and thus, break it. The conformity of thecup's haptics with the user's expectations does not match.