100 Things: Every Designer Needs to Know About People

89. People Use Different Error Strategies

In addition to classifying the types of errors that people make, you can think about the types of strategies that people use to correct an error. Neung Eun Kang and Wan Chul Yoon (2008) conducted a research study to look at the types of errors that both younger and older adults make when learning how to use new technologies. In their study they identified and tracked different error strategies.

Systematic Explorations

When people use systematic exploration, this means that they plan out what procedures they’ll use to correct the error. For example, let’s say that they’re trying to figure out how to put a song on a repeat loop on their tablet. They try one menu and that doesn’t work, so they set out to ...