Set out by Donald A. Norman (The Psychology of Everyday Things, 1988).
Builds the desired action into the structure of the work, so the right step becomes unavoidable or the wrong one impossible, without relying on memory or willpower.
When to reach for it
When an important step keeps being skipped despite reminders and good intentions, as with a safety check, a code review, or protected time.
How it runs
- Name the step that keeps being skipped.
- Find why it fails: forgetting, motivation, or social pressure.
- Change the setup so only the right path works.
- Test that the function really forces the behavior.
- Watch for workarounds, and close them.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- The Psychology of Everyday Things, later retitled The Design of Everyday Things, 1988