A behavior-shaping constraint, also sometimes referred to as a forcing function or poka-yoke, is a technique used in error-tolerant design to prevent the user from making common errors or mistakes. One example is the reverse lockout on the transmission of a moving automobile. Another example from interaction design, although not strictly a forcing function, is how software programs usually give a visual indication of what selection has been made by highlighting it with reverse video to aid in preventing description errors, where an intended action is performed on an object that isn't the one intended.
External links
- A paper that includes the concept
- Architectures of Control in Design, a site looking at constraints in the design of products, systems and environments
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