Designed for Use, 2nd Edition

Chapter 37 User Error Is Design Error

When people fail at using our products, we may be tempted to attribute that failure to user incompetence. It’s a “user error,” we may say. This response has its own acronym: “PEBKAC,” which stands for “Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair.”

When you do your first usability test, it’s natural to experience some amount of denial—surely your product can’t be that bad. You probably just happened to pick a few truly inept people to test it, right?

This tendency to blame users is often supported by users themselves, who also tend to blame themselves for problems with your product. When they are unable to ...