87: Not All Mistakes Are Bad

Dimitri Van der Linden studied that people employ when learning how to use computers and electronic devices. Der Linden also says that errors have consequences.  But not all consequences are negative. Sometimes, making an error has a negative consequence, it's also likely that error has a positive or a neutral outcome. Sometimes, making an error has a negative consequence, it's also likely that the error has a positive or a neutral outcome. Errors with a positive consequence are activities that do not give the desired result but provide the person with information that helps him or her achieve an overall goal. Errors with a negative consequence are those that result in a dead-end, undo a positive consequence, send the person back to a starting point, or result in action that cannot be reversed. Errors with a neutral consequence are errors that have no effect on task completion.

87: Not All Mistakes Are Bad

Although you don't want people to make lots of errors when using your product, errors will occur. Since you know there will be errors, look for and document them during user testing.  Note whether each error consequence is positive, negative, or neutral. After user testing (and even before it), concentrate on redesigning to minimize or avoid an error with negative consequences first.

Takeaway