CHAPTER 5: To Err is Human
Summary
In this chapter the author Donald Norman talks about why and what kind of errors we humans usually commit. Two fundamental types of errors are - mistakes and slips. He further mentions different types of slips briefly and gives an example of each.
- Capture errors: a frequently done activity takes charge of the one that the person intends to perform.
- Description errors: the intended action has a lot in common with other possible actions.
- Data driven errors: Data driven sensory that cause a different action.
- Associative action errors: these deal with the internal thoughts that trigger actions and the association between the thoughts and actions.
- Loss-of-action errors: forgetting the action that the person was supposed to perform
- Mode errors: trying to perform the action while the device is in the wrong mode.
Slips and errors can be detected and prevented only if there is a proper feedback. It is important to provide forcing functions, proper feedback and clear instructions to avoid errors.
Discussion
I thought this chapter was very interesting since it was very different from most of the other chapters and covered a totally new topic - errors. It's interesting to read the detailed description of different types of errors and how much thought the author has put into analyzing the different types of error, their cause and possible solutions to prevent those errors.
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