Mistakes and GIGO

Error
Hey, it’s not my fault, really! It’s a design error.

Until Lidwell's section on Error, I had never thought of using design error as an excuse.

Slips, aka “whoopsies of life” are a common occurrence around here. When slips happen, I’m pretty forgiving and just chuckle and make amends - these are unintentional mistakes, after all. As a mom, I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve design to minimize accidental mistakes. One example might be using wider bottomed glasses and placing them in a position on the table so elbows won’t be as likely to come in contact with glasses filled with milk, knocking the glasses over and spilling the milk all over the table and on to the floor. Guess that is modifying design. I often think of slips in data entry on the computer. Lidwell advises minimizing slips by providing clear feedback on action, using confirmations for verification, and using affordances and constraints.

Mistakes, on the other hand, are intentional errors or “errors of planning”. Stress can increase the likelihood of making mistakes. I have been known to make the mistake of overcooking the Thanksgiving turkey. Lidwell says we can minimize mistakes by increasing situational awareness and reducing environmental noise; making key indicators and controls visible within one eyespan; and reducing stress and cognitive load by minimizing the auditory and visual noise. Yes, these things would help, for if I paid more attention to the turkey in the oven, and less on the guests and the other dishes I’m cooking, I’d see that doneness indicator pop up or watch the clock more closely and check the bird‘s crispiness more often. Lidwell also advises building forgiveness into the design. Unfortunately, I don't think there is reversibility for an overcooked turkey.

GIGO
Garbage in Garbage Out - I remember teaching , actually having to explain, this acronym in 1980s and early 90s. I’d put “GIGO” up on the board and tell my adult students that this was a $500 “answer” on Jeopardy. No one could guess the question. I’d teach that computers are used to manipulate data to form meaningful information upon which decisions can be made. I'd add later that the information is only as good as the data put in to the computer.

Lidwell alerts readers of two types of problems that can result in garbage going in - Problems of type that occur when the wrong kind of data is submitted (mistakes) and problems of quality that occur when defective data is supplied (slips). Some good ways to avoid garbage in is by using constraints to limit the information accepted and using previews and confirmations to make sure the user reviews and proofs the data before it is entered into the system for action. A computer program can also check that user input is within reasonable limits by asking for the data to be reentered if it fails the program’s criteria.

Expectation Effect

I believe in the power of positive thinking, that if one holds the expectation of a positive outcome, it’s more likely to happen. Seems this is the basis of the Law of Attraction and Wayne Dyer‘s pbs specials and lots of books and videos. Teachers especially need to remember the role that expectations play and keep open minds about their students. Students need to feel that teachers believe in them and their ability to succeed as the Pygmalion and Rosenthal effects show. Dan believes in us; he tells us often that we will all succeed!

Finally, I think it's pretty neat how many pictures have appeared in our blogs for Designing Visuals for Education class. Visuals do enhance learning and communication.

Take Care,
Karen