error prevention
Stopping problems beforehand
Error prevention encompasses strategies and designs that stop mistakes before they happen, rather than catching them afterward.
In engineering and interface design, error prevention means building systems that make wrong actions difficult or impossible: confirmation dialogs before deletion, guards on dangerous machinery, checklists in aviation.
Good error prevention is invisible—you never notice the disasters that didn't happen.
- checklistsItemized task records
- spell checkersTools finding typing errors
- foolproofIncapable of failure
- feedback loopsSelf-modifying response cycles
- cognitive loadDemands on working memory
usability · fail-safes · safety net · situational awareness · interface design · standard operating procedures · consistency · skill enhancement · double-check · anticipate · visual hierarchy · communication protocols · typo · alert · quality · catch · guardrail · safety
- UI/UXUI, UX, wireframes, wireframe, mockups
- UX designuser research, wireframing, user experience, user testing, user needs
- Drug Safetydrug safety, adverse reactions, side effects, drug interactions, drug recalls
- harm preventiondo no harm, harm reduction, patient safety, precaution, safety protocols
- healthcare standardspatient safety, standard of care, clinical guidelines, safety standards, quality standards
- designdesign principles, functionality, emphasis, unity, graphic design
error preventiondamage control
Limiting further harm
error correction · error recovery · remediation · troubleshooting · firefighting
error preventionsabotage
Deliberate disruption of operations
negligence · recklessness · carelessness · risk-taking · cutting corners