Chapter 1: Design for behaviour, not screens, lesson 3 of 6

Learn the words for what people do

Saying users are confused is not enough. Learn the words for what people do: goals, tasks, mental models, workarounds, the two gaps, slips and mistakes.

By 4 min read, 14 min of exercises

Warm-up

A quick one before we start. Is each one a frustration, a motivation or an aspiration?

  1. I want the class game finished by Friday.

    Right, it's motivation. It gets him through this week's task. After Friday, it's done.

    Not quite. It's motivation. It gets him through this week's task. After Friday, it's done.

  2. I want to be the teacher whose class builds real things.

    Right, it's aspiration. It's who he wants to be. That keeps him coming back.

    Not quite. It's aspiration. It's who he wants to be. That keeps him coming back.

  3. Copying 30 students' code by hand takes my whole evening.

    Right, it's frustration. It costs him time, every week.

    Not quite. It's frustration. It costs him time, every week.

In lesson 2, you bet on what a teacher’s copying tells you. This lesson answers that bet. It also gives you the words to say exactly what went wrong.

Without these words, designers say users are confused and stop there. With them, you can point at the problem.

Think first

Think of a time someone used your product, or an app you know, the “wrong” way. What did they do? What did they think would happen?

You

Which of these is closest to your answer?

Shirish

Maybe. But most people never read instructions. They go by what they expect.

So what did they expect the product to do?

Shirish

Good. That expectation has a name, and you’ll learn it in a minute.

Where did their expectation and the product split apart?

Shirish

That’s a workaround, and it’s one of the strongest clues you can find. For example, people who use a chat app like Slack as a notebook, by messaging themselves.

They are telling you they need something the product doesn’t give them. What was it?

Shirish

Then you haven’t watched closely yet. Every product gets used the “wrong” way. The next story is from mine.

As you read it, ask: was the teacher wrong, or was the product?

You

What this means

When someone uses a product the “wrong” way, they’re often using it right for what they believe it is.

The problem sits in the gap between what they believe and what the product is. This lesson names that gap, and a few others.

The teacher who copied his class’s code by hand

Here is the story behind your bet.

Shirishfrom my own product

A teacher copied each student's code into one project by hand

A teacher used my code project app with his class. He wanted his students to build one game together, each student building one part.

But my product allowed only one person per project. So he collected a link from every student. Then he copied each part into his own project, by hand.

He wasn’t using it wrong. Look at what he believed, and what was true:

What he believed

A classroom tool

A shared space where a whole class builds one thing together.

What it was

A tool for one person

One project, one owner. Others can only view a link.

His belief about the product is his mental model. The product didn't match it, so he filled the gap with his own time.

Three words come out of this story:

  • His goal was one game, built by the whole class.
  • His task was copying code by hand. The product forced that task on him.
  • His workaround was the copying itself. A workaround is strong evidence of a need, because the person pays for it with time, not words.

So the answer to your bet: the product was missing something he needed.

Practice

Now a different person. A café owner uses a food delivery app. Is each one her goal, a task, or a workaround? Two of them are tricky.

  1. Tapping Accept on each new order.

    Right, it's a task. It's what she does now, the way the app expects.

    Not quite. It's a task. It's what she does now, the way the app expects.

  2. Serve more customers at lunch without mistakes.

    Right, it's a goal. It sounds like a task because of the word serve. But it's the result she wants, not a step.

    Not quite. It's a goal. It sounds like a task because of the word serve. But it's the result she wants, not a step.

  3. Printing each order and pinning it to the wall, because the app shows only one at a time.

    Right, it's a workaround. Extra work to get what the app doesn't give her: a view of all orders at once.

    Not quite. It's a workaround. Extra work to get what the app doesn't give her: a view of all orders at once.

  4. Get every order to the right customer, hot.

    Right, it's a goal. It's why she uses the app at all.

    Not quite. It's a goal. It's why she uses the app at all.

  5. Keeping a paper list of customers who are allergic to nuts.

    Right, it's a workaround. It looks like a normal task. But she does it because the app has nowhere to store allergies.

    Not quite. It's a workaround. It looks like a normal task. But she does it because the app has nowhere to store allergies.

  6. Reading each order and cooking it.

    Right, it's a task. It's part of the job, and the app supports it.

    Not quite. It's a task. It's part of the job, and the app supports it.

We built a way for a whole class to work in one project. He stopped copying code by hand. That is how we knew it worked. When a workaround stops, the need has been met.

The two gaps: doing and knowing

Don Norman named the two places where people get stuck with any product.

The two gaps between a person and a product A person on the left and a product on the right. An arrow goes from the person to the product, labelled: How do I do this? This is the gulf of execution. An arrow comes back from the product to the person, labelled: Did it work? This is the gulf of evaluation. Person Product How do I do this? Gulf of execution Did it work? Gulf of evaluation
People get stuck in two places: working out what to do, and working out what happened.
  • The gulf of execution is the question How do I do this? The teacher was stuck here. He couldn’t see how to put his class in one project.
  • The gulf of evaluation is the question Did it work? You’re stuck here when you press a button and can’t tell what happened. Think of a delivery app whose map stops moving. Is your food coming or not?

Practice

Which gap is each person stuck in?

  1. I pressed Pay and nothing happened. Did it go through?

    Right, it's the gulf of evaluation. They acted, but they can't tell what happened.

    Not quite. It's the gulf of evaluation. They acted, but they can't tell what happened.

  2. I can't find where to share my project.

    Right, it's the gulf of execution. They don't know what to do next.

    Not quite. It's the gulf of execution. They don't know what to do next.

  3. Where is the setting to turn off the sound?

    Right, it's the gulf of execution. They know what they want, but not how to do it.

    Not quite. It's the gulf of execution. They know what they want, but not how to do it.

  4. The upload bar vanished. Is my file there?

    Right, it's the gulf of evaluation. The product gave no clear answer after the action.

    Not quite. It's the gulf of evaluation. The product gave no clear answer after the action.

Slips and mistakes: why “Are you sure?” can’t stop a mistake

Back to my delete pop-up from lesson 2. One question changed how I see it.

Think first

Someone deletes the wrong project. Will an Are you sure? pop-up stop them?

You

Pick the answer closest to yours.

Shirish

Only if they read it. In the game in lesson 1, you clicked Send on every pop-up.

What happens after the tenth Are you sure? in a day?

Shirish

Closer. An accident like that is a slip: the right plan, done wrong. But people click Yes out of habit, even on slips.

What could still save them, after they have clicked Yes?

Shirish

Yes. If they meant to delete it, they are sure. The pop-up asks Are you sure? and they honestly say yes.

So what would help them on Friday, when they need it back?

You

What this means

Here is the key idea. Someone making a mistake is sure. That’s what makes it a mistake. So Are you sure? can’t stop it.

There are two kinds of error, and each one needs a different safety net.

Slip: the right plan, done wrong

Undo catches it

You meant to delete an old project, but clicked the wrong one. A few seconds of Undo saves you.

Mistake: the wrong plan, done right

Only a trash catches it

You deleted the project you meant to. On Friday, you need it back. Only a trash that keeps it for 30 days saves you.

My pop-up was standing in for the thing that was really missing: a trash.

Practice

Is each one a slip or a mistake?

  1. I deleted a file I thought I didn't need. I needed it.

    Right, it's a mistake. The action worked. The plan was wrong.

    Not quite. It's a mistake. The action worked. The plan was wrong.

  2. I meant to tap Reply, but I tapped Reply All.

    Right, it's a slip. The plan was right. The tap went wrong.

    Not quite. It's a slip. The plan was right. The tap went wrong.

  3. I typed my PIN, but one digit was off.

    Right, it's a slip. They knew the PIN. Their finger slipped.

    Not quite. It's a slip. They knew the PIN. Their finger slipped.

  4. I picked the cheap plan. It didn't have the feature I need.

    Right, it's a mistake. They did exactly what they meant to. The choice was wrong.

    Not quite. It's a mistake. They did exactly what they meant to. The choice was wrong.

Words from this lesson

These words come back in every lesson. Here they are in one place.

Goal
Why the person is there. What they want in the end. In this lessonThe teacher wanted one game, built by the whole class.
Task
What they are doing right now to reach the goal. In this lessonThe teacher copying code by hand.
Mental model
What a person believes a product is and how it works. In this lessonThe teacher thought it was a classroom tool.
Workaround
Extra work a person does to get what the product doesn’t give them. In this lessonThe teacher copied each student's part into one project, by hand.
Gulf of execution
Not knowing what to do next. In this lessonThe teacher couldn't see how to put a class in one project.
Gulf of evaluation
Not knowing what happened after you acted. In this lessonA delivery app's map freezes, so you can't tell where your food is.
Slip
The right plan, done wrong. In this lessonYou meant to delete an old project, but clicked the wrong one.
Mistake
The wrong plan, done right. In this lessonYou deleted the project you meant to, then needed it on Friday.

Back to your first answer

Your first answer

Your answer

Your answer will show here after you write one at the top of this page.

You've read the lesson. Would you change your answer?
Good. Which part of this lesson backs your answer?

Your bet: what did AI change for this teacher?

Your bet

The same teacher came back later with a new problem. His students had started writing their code with AI.

What do you think became hard for him? Make your bet, and say how sure you are.

Your guess
How sure are you?

You'll find the answer in Lesson 4: Find what you bring that AI can't.

Try this during the week: watch someone use an app. When they get stuck, name the gap: is it doing, or knowing?

Sources

  • Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, revised edition, 2013: the two gulfs, slips and mistakes.
  • The teacher story and the delete pop-up are from my own product.
Portrait of Shirish Shikhrakar

Written by

Shirish Shikhrakar

Shirish is a Google-certified UX designer and UX engineer based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He started as a software developer, moved into product design for Silicon Valley startups, and has taught UX foundations to hundreds of designers since 2019.

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