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Defensive Design for the Web: How to Improve Error Messages, Help, Forms, and Other Crisis Points

37signals

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Summary

This early 37signals book studies what happens when a website fails to do what a visitor expects. It uses examples to explain how error messages, forms, missing pages, help and search can guide people back to their task. Its forty guidelines cover both preventing mistakes and making recovery easier. The book treats these failure points as part of the product experience, with clear language and practical help at the place a person gets stuck.

  • SourceDefensive Design for the Web — New Riders / Peachpit · Description and Table of Contents, chapters 2–8; author credit; 2004 first edition and ISBN

Why read it Our view

Useful for reviewing the parts of a site that can lose a customer. Walk through failed searches, invalid form entries and missing pages, then check whether each one gives a clear next step.

Written about

  • Jason FriedCo-author; published under 37signals
    An early company book about preventing website errors and helping people recover when something goes wrong. Fried confirms his part in the original Tom Peters interview.
    Source