Designed for Use, 2nd Edition

Takeaway Points

• Take responsibility. “User errors” are really user interface design failures; they are designer errors. Simply assuming that the user is responsible for a problem doesn’t make the problem go away.

• Don’t blame the user in your user interface. It makes your customers feel bad, and the problem was probably your fault to begin with.

• Present useful error messages. If something goes wrong, explain what went wrong, but more importantly, explain how the user can fix the problem.

• Prevent the problem. It’s always best to avoid errors altogether. If users encounter errors, think about how you can change the product so that the error doesn’t occur again.

• Prevent mode errors by avoiding modes or by clearly indicating your product’s current ...