Re: The path of least blame

[António Fernandes <antoniojpfernandes gmail com>]

2011/8/6 Aurélien Naldi <aurelien naldi gmail com>

Maybe it's users' expectation that is wrong

This is why users get angry. How can an expectation be wrong? It is always right. It is only that expectations are different. For some, they expect a new instance should be started, for others they expect to be taken to the existing instance. My point is that if software does not have enough information to perform as expected, it should choose the option that does not allow users to blame it.

Even if both expectations were equally valid, that would be the wrong criterion. Software exists to help users, not to save itself from blame. 

Hi,

I agree that software is here to help and doesn't care about being blamed, but people writing the software do care :)

Sure, I am sorry. I understand that getting blamed matters, but it should not be the only and ultimate criterion for user experience design decisions. This is what I meant, but phrased it poorly.