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，我還是一名年輕的產品設計師，曾在西班牙巴倫西亞的一家小型科技公司工作。 同時，我在多個不同客戶的副項目上擔任自由職業者。 有一天，一家新的醫療服務公司與我聯系，希望在網上提供他們的服務。 他們需要一個全新的網站，該網站必須具有足夠復雜的信息架構來提供各種服務，并且需要一個內容管理系統，該系統可以輕松地對用戶進行定制，而對代碼的了解很少或根本不需要。 我不能更樂于完成這個項目，這是我想要的，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.

當時，Wordpress在內容管理系統方面是當之無愧的王者，它為用戶提供了他們在摘要中要求的所有工具，因此這是很自然的選擇。 這是問題開始的地方； 那時我已經有3年的自由職業者了，這不是我的第一個大項目，也不是我的第一個網站。 但是，當一個人年輕且沒有經驗，并且對其中最好的工具的知識充滿信心時，就會相信自己處于創新和嘗試新事物的有利條件。 好吧，事實是，這確實是個好地方，但是要犯很多錯誤。

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.

我決定忽略舊的良好做法，并使用適用于Wordpress的新“拖放”插件構建完整的網站，該插件使用戶無需網站管理員即可適應其需求。 我構建了IA，實現了多種輸入形式，設計了所需的每種視覺效果，并測試了性能和加載速度。 在兩個月內，新網站已經準備就緒，客戶感到滿意，我已經計劃將這個新項目添加到我的投資組合中。 然后，該“拖放”插件關閉，整個網站崩潰了。

了解錯誤因素 (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.

如劍橋詞典所述 ; 錯誤是指錯誤的行動或決定，或產生不正確或不想要的結果。

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

錯誤是指錯誤的動作或決定，或者產生不正確或不想要的結果。

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.

我們傾向于認為錯誤與上下文錯誤有所不同。 錯誤是由于事故而發生的，而錯誤通常是由于缺乏知識或信息而造成的。 但是，我發現這種區分是不完整和模棱兩可的，因為驅動我們犯錯誤的最常見機制被歸類為錯誤。 因此，我們可以將錯誤理解為更具體地與人工輸入和輸出相關聯的一種錯誤類型。

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，這些使我們陷入錯誤的力量是什么？ 我們如何避免重復出現這些錯誤，如果它們發生了，我們如何才能最大程度地減少其影響并將其轉化為機會？ 要回答這些問題，我們需要了解這些動作的性質，并定義首先導致我們做出錯誤呼叫的方法。

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

我相信，可以使用三個主要類別對所有能夠產生錯誤的力進行分類。

人為錯誤 (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.

人為錯誤是造成風險事件的眾多原因之一。 這些可以轉化為多種輸出，其中之一是由于我們人性的過錯而發生的錯誤； 諸如我們的偏見，恐懼，我們的性格，我們的性格特征或錯過我們的早茶之類的事情將無情地導致我們做出很多事情。

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.

為了理解這種錯誤并最大程度地減少這種錯誤的影響，世界各地的許多政府機構已經創建并提供了有關如何定義錯誤并減少其影響的指南。 例如，英國的健康與安全執行機構為中小型企業提供了一個非常有趣的關于工作場所人為失誤的工具包文檔 。

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.

壞消息是，這些都是很難避免的，因此請準備更多。 不好的消息是我們所有人都制造了它們，因此無需對此感到特別。 最后，好消息是我們可以學習減少這些行動的頻率和影響。 正如曼徹斯特大學名譽心理學教授James Reason在他的文章“ 人為錯誤：模型與管理 ”中所解釋的那樣，我們可以在基本前提下采取系統方法，即人是易犯錯誤并且可以預見錯誤，即使在最好的組織和結構。

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

對策基于這樣的假設：盡管我們不能改變人類的狀況，但我們可以改變人類工作的條件-James Reason

測量誤差 (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.

當我們計劃，計算和跟蹤策略時，我們真正要做的就是測量和組合不同的因素。 從項目的時間范圍和范圍，團隊能力到產品和用戶見解。 許多事情都會破壞系統或流程，并使計劃失敗。 測量中的瑕疵可能由于多種因素而發生，從人為錯誤到錯誤的工具和系統。

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:

一旦我們了解了計劃作為衡量活動的行為。 科學可以為我們提供有關測量誤差的最合理答案。 英國國家計量學院的首席科學家Stephanie Bell在她的《 測量良好實踐指南》中聲稱，真正的測量永遠不會在完美的條件下進行，誤差和不確定性可能來自七個可能的來源(引用文件的第7頁)。 其中一些可能是測量儀器，要測量的項目，人員的技能或環境。 她補充說：

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

“……一般來說，來自每個來源以及來自其他來源的不確定性將是導致測量總體不確定性的單個“輸入”。”

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.

遵循科學家的實踐并在我們的測量中定義不確定度，對于產品經理，產品設計師和領導者來說，建議他們提高他們的計劃輸出和技能。 意識到這些可能的錯誤源可能會阻止我們犯錯誤，或者至少減少了我們可能犯的錯誤的數量和影響。

不可預測的錯誤 (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.

這些錯誤幾乎是我們無法控制的。 我們這樣做的外部原因是它們發生并產生不良結果的主要原因。 例如，假設有一位企業家決定將所有積蓄投資于2020年1月，開始在旅游行業中開展新業務。您可能會認為這可能是一種錯誤估計，但事實是，沒有人期望Covid-19出現今年。

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.

這些類型的事件可能導致我們犯錯，只有在發生錯誤和衡量其后果之后才將其歸類。 這些變化的可預測性和影響可能會有所不同，從小巧的偶然事故到著名的統計學家和風險分析師Nassim Nicholas Tale在同名書中將其歸類為“ 黑天鵝 ”。

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.

運氣因素可能會給我們帶來許多挑戰和機遇，影響和范圍各不相同。 但是，這不是最常見的情況，它可能導致我們犯下錯誤。 這里值得一提的是，我們人類傾向于將這一類別用作“全能型”產品。 責備外部原因和其他原因始終是最簡單，最輕松，更舒適的選擇，但不是最有用的選擇，因此在嘗試了解問題所在時，請注意這一點。

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

人們將事情歸咎于前幾代人的原因是，只有另一種選擇。 —道格·拉森(Doug Larson)

結論 (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.

從2012年到今天，我犯下的錯誤比我記不清或記住的錯誤多，但是在每一個錯誤中，我總是花費大量的時間去思考和嘗試理解發生的事情以及下次我可以做些不同的事情以避免重復這些錯誤。 碰巧答案不是那么簡單，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.

發生錯誤的多種機制比我們在文章和書中完全描述和識別的機制更加復雜和多樣。 科學家，心理學家和分析家開發了一些有用的工具，我們可以使用這些工具來理解和處理過去和將來的錯誤。 我們的最大目標應該是將這些錯誤的范圍縮小到在工作和生活中更常見地影響我們的那些錯誤。

Thank you for reading!

感謝您的閱讀！