“I blame myself.”
Said no one, ever. At least not the consumers I know.
When a careless woodworker loses a digit on a table saw, they almost certainly blame the design and instructions of the device, not their lack of care.
On a less gruesome note, the user who fails to read the website before ordering, the instructions before using, or the interface before clicking is unlikely to associate good things with an interaction that failed because of their own lack of care.
The more people interact with you, the more your brand and reputation are at risk.
There are three sorts of operator errors to consider:
- The design of your product or the power of your service allows people to do something they’ll later regret.
- Confusion in the user experience permits avoidable errors to occur.
- You surprise users by amplifying their choice and impact when they aren’t prepared or qualified.
One alternative is to prepare your responses and excuses in advance. “Buyer beware!” “RTFM!” “Sorry.”
It might be more productive to limit how people interact with your products and services. To design operator error out of the process. A few people saying, “it didn’t let me do everything I wanted, the way I wanted,” is better than, “it let me break it (or me).”
Letting your clients fail may give them a sense of agency, but it might not be the best way to make the impact you seek with your work.
Great design leads to a better user experience. And “No.” is a complete sentence.
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