Product Log: Encryption Recovery Drill for Sovereign Notes

Drill Objective

Validate whether a typical user can recover encrypted notes on a new device without support intervention.

Test Setup

• Device A: original setup with active encrypted vault
• Device B: fresh install and clean environment
• Recovery inputs: user password + recovery key backup

Success Criteria

1. Account access restored on Device B
2. Note count matches expected baseline
3. Most recent note timestamp matches source device
4. No plaintext leakage in transit logs

Drill Results

Failure Patterns Observed

Even with successful recovery, we identified user friction:

• Confusion between wallet reconnect and note decryption step
• Unclear naming of recovery key file for first-time users
• Delayed confidence after sync due to missing progress hints

Product Improvements Shipped

• Added clearer recovery step labels
• Added verification banner after successful decryption
• Added progress state during encrypted sync

Evidence Appendix

Drill Artifacts

• recovery-drill-checklist-2026-02-13.md
• pre-post-note-count-snapshot.csv
• recovery-flow-screen-captures.zip

Redacted Verification Record

drill_id: ND-DRILL-2026-02-13
result: pass
recovery_time_minutes: 11
mismatch_count: 0

Conclusion

The drill confirmed baseline recovery reliability and revealed UX improvements that reduce user anxiety during restore operations.