ABSTRACT
DON’T BLAME THE USER There is an understandable tendency among people, particularly those who are not human factors specialists, to observe a use error that occurs during a usability test and conclude that it was the user’s fault. After all, there can be no use error without a user. Viewed simplistically, a use error calls for someone to make a mistake of some sort; pressing the wrong button, assembling device components incorrectly, administering medication using an incorrect technique, or forgetting to click a “Confirm” button. As such, it is a natural tendency to blame the user for a mistake he or she committed-even more so if the person making judgments is intellectually, emotionally, and perhaps financially invested in the medical device performing satisfactorily (Figure 9.1).
