Designer Error.
We used to blame users instead of the design.
Published Oct 16, 2025 · Around 2 minutes to read
I test my designs by showing them to people. Seeing them use my website or app is the best way to learn what to fix. But when a design is bad, the user gets flustered:
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“I’m so bad with computers.”
“This is confusing.”
Before I show the prototype, I tell them that any issues they might face is the design’s fault. Not theirs. But some still feel like it’s their fault.
Historically, users WERE blamed for bad design.
In the 1930s, “Pilot Error” was listed as the cause for a bunch of B-17 plane crashes. And not just a few. There were about 400+ crashes because the plane had the same type of switches to retract the landing gear and to control the wing flaps. And they were right next to each other (red highlights in the image).
Technology isn’t intuitive. It needs to be learned.
We haven’t landed on best practices for designing AI agents yet. Which is why this space is so exciting. And prone to design error.
But we don’t need to get technically fancy to design error-free agents. It’s about the basics: learn the human workflows → build agents that augment those workflows → measure agent performance.
We've created an Agent Blueprint that helps you build effective agents. Check it out: Agent Blueprint
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Image source: UIUX.pt
P.S. I heard the new Tesla models doesn’t have a physical gear selector. You have to swipe on the touchscreen to change gears. I don’t like that. I thought the Pacifica’s dial gear shifter was unintuitive, but at least it was physical.
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