Back in 2012, I was a young[er] product designer working in a small tech agency in Valencia, Spain. In parallel, I worked as a freelancer on several side projects for different clients. One day I was contacted by a new health services company looking to offer their services online. They needed a brand new website with a complex enough information architecture presenting a variety of services and a content management system that allows easy customizing to users with little or no understanding of code. I couldn’t be happier to take care of this project, it was all I wanted and more.

早在2012年，我还是一名年轻的产品设计师，曾在西班牙巴伦西亚的一家小型科技公司工作。 同时，我在多个不同客户的副项目上担任自由职业者。 有一天，一家新的医疗服务公司与我联系，希望在网上提供他们的服务。 他们需要一个全新的网站，该网站必须具有足够复杂的信息架构来提供各种服务，并且需要一个内容管理系统，该系统可以轻松地对用户进行定制，而对代码的了解很少或根本不需要。 我不能更乐于完成这个项目，这是我想要的，甚至更多。

Back then, Wordpress was the king of the hill when it comes to Content Management Systems and it provided the users with all the tools they asked in the brief, so it was a natural choice. And here is where problems started; I was already a freelancer for 3 years back then and it wasn’t my first big project neither my first website. However, when one is young[er] and inexperienced and feels confident about the knowledge of the best tools out there, one believes to be well-positioned to innovate and try new things. Well, the truth is that it’s a great place to be indeed, but to make a bunch of mistakes instead.

当时，Wordpress在内容管理系统方面是当之无愧的王者，它为用户提供了他们在摘要中要求的所有工具，因此这是很自然的选择。 这是问题开始的地方； 那时我已经有3年的自由职业者了，这不是我的第一个大项目，也不是我的第一个网站。 但是，当一个人年轻且没有经验，并且对其中最好的工具的知识充满信心时，就会相信自己处于创新和尝试新事物的有利条件。 好吧，事实是，这确实是个好地方，但是要犯很多错误。

I decided to ignore the old good practices and build the full website with a new ‘drag a drop’ plugin available for Wordpress that will allow the users to adapt their website to their needs without the need of a web admin. I built the IA, implemented the multiple input forms, designed each visual needed, and tested the performance and loading speed. In two months, the new website was ready, clients were pleased and I was already planning to add this new project to my portfolio. And then that ‘drag and drop’ plugin went off and the whole website crashed.

我决定忽略旧的良好做法，并使用适用于Wordpress的新“拖放”插件构建完整的网站，该插件使用户无需网站管理员即可适应其需求。 我构建了IA，实现了多种输入形式，设计了所需的每种视觉效果，并测试了性能和加载速度。 在两个月内，新网站已经准备就绪，客户感到满意，我已经计划将这个新项目添加到我的投资组合中。 然后，该“拖放”插件关闭，整个网站崩溃了。

了解错误因素 (Understanding the Error factor)

As described in the Cambridge Dictionary; a mistake is an action or decision that is wrong or produces a result that is not correct or not intended.

如剑桥词典所述 ; 错误是指错误的行动或决定，或产生不正确或不想要的结果。

A mistake is an action or decision that is wrong or produces a result that is not correct or not intended.

错误是指错误的动作或决定，或者产生不正确或不想要的结果。

We tend to think mistakes differ from errors in the context. A mistake happens due to an accident while an error is usually made due to a lack of knowledge or information. However, I find this distinction as incomplete and ambiguous since the most common mechanisms which drive us to make mistakes are classified as Errors. Therefore, we can understand mistakes as a type of error more specifically linked to human inputs and outputs.

我们倾向于认为错误与上下文错误有所不同。 错误是由于事故而发生的，而错误通常是由于缺乏知识或信息而造成的。 但是，我发现这种区分是不完整和模棱两可的，因为驱动我们犯错误的最常见机制被归类为错误。 因此，我们可以将错误理解为更具体地与人工输入和输出相关联的一种错误类型。

But, what are these forces that make us fall into mistakes? How can we avoid repeating them and, if they happened, how can we minimize their impact and transform them into opportunities? To answer these questions, we need to understand the nature of these actions and define the path that took us to make that wrong call in the first place.

但是，这些使我们陷入错误的力量是什么？ 我们如何避免重复出现这些错误，如果它们发生了，我们如何才能最大程度地减少其影响并将其转化为机会？ 要回答这些问题，我们需要了解这些动作的性质，并定义首先导致我们做出错误呼叫的方法。

I believe there are three main categories we can use to classify all the forces capable of producing errors.

我相信，可以使用三个主要类别对所有能够产生错误的力进行分类。

人为错误 (Human Error)

Human error is one of the many contributing causes of risk events. These could be translated into multiple outputs, and one of them is mistakes happening because of our faulty human nature; things like our bias, our fears, our character, our personality traits, or missing our morning coffee will lead us inexorably to make lots of them.

人为错误是造成风险事件的众多原因之一。 这些可以转化为多种输出，其中之一是由于我们人性的过错而发生的错误； 诸如我们的偏见，恐惧，我们的性格，我们的性格特征或错过我们的早茶之类的事情将无情地导致我们做出很多事情。

In an effort to understand and minimize the impact of this type of mistake, many government agencies around the world have created and provided us with guidelines on how to define them and reduce their impact. The Health and Safety Executive agency of the UK, for example, provides small and medium businesses with a very interesting toolkit document on human failure in the workplace.

为了理解这种错误并最大程度地减少这种错误的影响，世界各地的许多政府机构已经创建并提供了有关如何定义错误并减少其影响的指南。 例如，英国的健康与安全执行机构为中小型企业提供了一个非常有趣的关于工作场所人为失误的工具包文档 。

The bad news is that these are hard to avoid, so be ready to make more of them. The not so good news is that we all make them, so no need to feel special about this one. And finally, the good news is that we can learn to reduce the frequency and impact of these actions. As explained by James Reason, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Manchester in his article “Human Error: Models and Management”, we can take a systems approach on the basic premise that humans are fallible and errors are to be expected, even in the best organizations and structures.

坏消息是，这些都是很难避免的，因此请准备更多。 不好的消息是我们所有人都制造了它们，因此无需对此感到特别。 最后，好消息是我们可以学习减少这些行动的频率和影响。 正如曼彻斯特大学名誉心理学教授James Reason在他的文章“ 人为错误：模型与管理 ”中所解释的那样，我们可以在基本前提下采取系统方法，即人是易犯错误并且可以预见错误，即使在最好的组织和结构。

Countermeasures are based on the assumption that although we cannot change the human condition, we can change the conditions under which humans work — James Reason

对策基于这样的假设：尽管我们不能改变人类的状况，但我们可以改变人类工作的条件-James Reason

测量误差 (Measurement Error)

When we plan, calculate, and trace strategies, what we are really trying to do is to measure and combine different factors. From the timeframe and scope of the project and the team capacity to the product and user insights. Many things can undermine a system or a process and make a plan fail. Flaws in the measurement may occur due to multiple factors, from human errors to faulty tools and systems.

当我们计划，计算和跟踪策略时，我们真正要做的就是测量和组合不同的因素。 从项目的时间范围和范围，团队能力到产品和用户见解。 许多事情都会破坏系统或流程，并使计划失败。 测量中的瑕疵可能由于多种因素而发生，从人为错误到错误的工具和系统。

Once we understand the act of planning as a measuring exercise. Science can provide us with the most reasonable answers about measuring errors. In her Measurement Good Practice Guide, Stephanie Bell, Lead Scientist at UK’s National Metrology Institute claimed that real measurements are never made under perfect conditions, and errors and uncertainties can come from seven possible sources (page 7 of the cited document). Some of them could be the measuring instrument, the item being measured, the person’s skills, or the environment. And she adds:

一旦我们了解了计划作为衡量活动的行为。 科学可以为我们提供有关测量误差的最合理答案。 英国国家计量学院的首席科学家Stephanie Bell在她的《 测量良好实践指南》中声称，真正的测量永远不会在完美的条件下进行，误差和不确定性可能来自七个可能的来源(引用文件的第7页)。 其中一些可能是测量仪器，要测量的项目，人员的技能或环境。 她补充说：

“… in general, uncertainties from each of these sources, and from other sources, would be individual ‘inputs’ contributing to the overall uncertainty in the measurement.”

“……一般来说，来自每个来源以及来自其他来源的不确定性将是导致测量总体不确定性的单个“输入”。”

Following scientists’ practices and define an uncertainty degree in our measurements could be something recommendable for product managers, product designers, and leaders to improve their planning outputs and skills. Being aware of these possible sources of errors could prevent us from making them, or at least, reduce the number and impact of mistakes we could make.

遵循科学家的实践并在我们的测量中定义不确定度，对于产品经理，产品设计师和领导者来说，建议他们提高他们的计划输出和技能。 意识到这些可能的错误源可能会阻止我们犯错误，或者至少减少了我们可能犯的错误的数量和影响。

不可预测的错误 (The Unpredictable Error)

These are the type of errors that are pretty much out of our control. External causes to our doing are the main reason they happen and produce an unwanted result. For example, imagine an entrepreneur who decided to invest all of his savings to start a new business in the travel industry in January 2020. You might argue this could be more a miscalculation, but the reality is that nobody was expecting Covid-19 to appear this year.

这些错误几乎是我们无法控制的。 我们这样做的外部原因是它们发生并产生不良结果的主要原因。 例如，假设有一位企业家决定将所有积蓄投资于2020年1月，开始在旅游行业中开展新业务。您可能会认为这可能是一种错误估计，但事实是，没有人期望Covid-19出现今年。

These types of events could lead us to make mistakes, only classified as such after they occurred and after measuring their effect. These could vary in the predictability and impact, from small fortuitous accidents to what the famous statistician and risk analyst Nassim Nicholas Tale classified as a ‘Black Swan’ in the book of the same name.

这些类型的事件可能导致我们犯错，只有在发生错误和衡量其后果之后才将其归类。 这些变化的可预测性和影响可能会有所不同，从小巧的偶然事故到著名的统计学家和风险分析师Nassim Nicholas Tale在同名书中将其归类为“ 黑天鹅 ”。

The luck factor could impact us with many challenges and opportunities varying in impact and scope. However, this is not the most common situation that could lead us to mistakes made. Something important to mention here is the tendency of us, humans, to use this category as an ‘all in’ bucket. Blaming external causes and others is always the easiest, less painful, and more comfortable choice, but not the most useful one, so please be aware of this when trying to understand what went wrong.

运气因素可能会给我们带来许多挑战和机遇，影响和范围各不相同。 但是，这不是最常见的情况，它可能导致我们犯下错误。 这里值得一提的是，我们人类倾向于将这一类别用作“全能型”产品。 责备外部原因和其他原因始终是最简单，最轻松，更舒适的选择，但不是最有用的选择，因此在尝试了解问题所在时，请注意这一点。

The reason people blame things on previous generations is that there’s only one other choice. — Doug Larson

人们将事情归咎于前几代人的原因是，只有另一种选择。 —道格·拉森(Doug Larson)

结论 (Conclusion)

From 2012 until today I have made more mistakes than I can count or remember, but with every one of those, I always spent a considerable amount of time ruminating and trying to understand what happened and what I can do differently next time to avoid repeating them. It happens that the answer is not so simple neither easy to comprehend.

从2012年到今天，我犯下的错误比我记不清或记住的错误多，但是在每一个错误中，我总是花费大量的时间去思考和尝试理解发生的事情以及下次我可以做些不同的事情以避免重复这些错误。 碰巧答案不是那么简单，也不容易理解。

The multiple mechanisms for mistakes to happen are more complex and diverse than what we can fully describe and identify in articles and books. Scientists, psychologists, and analysts have developed some useful tools that we can use to understand and deal with our past and future mistakes. Our best aim should be to reduce the scope of these errors to those that more commonly affect us at work as well as in life.

发生错误的多种机制比我们在文章和书中完全描述和识别的机制更加复杂和多样。 科学家，心理学家和分析家开发了一些有用的工具，我们可以使用这些工具来理解和处理过去和将来的错误。 我们的最大目标应该是将这些错误的范围缩小到在工作和生活中更常见地影响我们的那些错误。

Thank you for reading!

感谢您的阅读！