Fix implemented: user given apron and replacement cake.

There's a certain point where you just shrug and give up.

Counter point. I had a customer call me back in the day when I was working tech support. Complained that his new computer wasn't working. Plugged in, light goes on but the screen just stays blank. Turns out he only bought a monitor. Thought the guys at the store were trying to scam him into "buying two boxes" that he didn't need. When I tried to explain he got mad saying I must be in on the scam.

Bonus points: when the call first connected his question was "why is my email not working?” Took a while to work that back to the actual issue.

There is no wuch thing as "dummy proof"

Another counterpoint: When you start implementing all that dummy proofing, you make the software more and more tedious to work with for people who know what they're doing.

I think it's quite obviously an issue that needs balance. Some software is meant to be seamless to get started with, so that users can get something done once in a while, some software is meant to be used long-term by professionals and requires productivity. And yet, many people jump on anything they don't immediately understand as bad UX.

It's literally impossible. I've seen programs ask three times to confirm a deletion, with big warnings, really emphasized. Saying it's permanent all three times.

Then the fuckers contacted us at tech support and go all like "hurr durr I just deleted my project can I have it back".

NO YOU LITTLE DIPSHIT YOU CANNOT. We did have backups though, most of the time (if it was recent) but it took well over a couple hours to properly restore, so we only did it if they asked nicely and behaved.

TL;DR People are stupid, no such thing as dump proofing. What needs to be done is hold people to higher standards and force to educate themselves or GTFO.

I used to blindly believe that but man, it’s just impossible sometimes. And I started thinking about how we don’t hold a lot of other industries to the same standards. It’s tough to think that the same person who can’t fill a basic online form is allowed to operate guns or heavy killer machines (cars) daily.

Nah man, you dumb down the interface and the users get dumber to match :|

Gut-driven design. People could conduct usability tests, but neither their "data-driven" management, marketing, design, nor the development department care about that since it's only "worthless" "additional" workload. Nevermind that usability testing reveals valuable insights about the people the business is supposed to generate value for. Or that usability testing identifies flawed designs before developers write any protoype code, designers draw sketches, etc. Or that usability testing nullifies unnecessary meetings about hypothetical scenarios littered with incorrect assumptions about reality. Usability testing is undervalued.

Both sides?