June 2, 2007

Poka-Yoke

Posted by Ben Simo

Poka-Yoke is not a dance. Its not an event at a rodeo. Its not what my kids do to each other in the back seat of the car. Poka-Yoke is Japanese for "mistake-proofing". Poka-Yoke was developed by Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo. He realized that people cannot be expected to work like machines and consistently do everything the same way every time they do it. People make mistakes and poorly designed processes can make it easier for people to err. Poka-Yoke's goal is to make it difficult for people to make mistakes through mistake prevention and detection.


Prevention

Applied poka-yoke gives users warnings about incorrect behavior and directs users towards the correct behavior. Computer PS/2 keyboards and mice share the same physical connector design but the connectors are usually color-coded to indicate which device goes into which port on a computer. Some computing hardware is shipped with warning stickers on top of connectors telling users to read a manual or install software before plugging in the device.

Poka-Yoke also means stopping users from doing the wrong thing. Diesel fuel pump nozzles will not fit in a vehicle that requires gasoline. The ignition key cannot be removed from most cars with automatic transmissions if the car is not in "park". Most cars with manual transmissions cannot be started unless the clutch pedal is pressed. These safety features prevent users from making mistakes.

Detection

Some errors cannot be prevented or are too expensive to prevent. The application of poka-yoke demands that errors be detected when and where they occur so that action can be taken before mistakes become bigger problems. Modern space heaters will automatically shut off if they are kicked over. A great example of automatic error detection and correction is the SawStop table saw that automatically disengages when the blade touches something that conducts electricity -- such as fingers. (See the video below.)


http://SawStop.com


Poka-Yoke Applied to Software

Poka-Yoke has existed in hardware products for decades. Poka-Yoke has improved quality and safety of many devices we use daily. While I do not like the behavior-shaping constraints of poka-yoke applied to intellectual tasks, directing and constraining user behavior is essential for good software. I do not advocate application of poka-yoke to the development process. I do advocate applying poka-yoke thinking to every stage of the software development life cycle to improve the quality of the software products we produce. Designers should think poka-yoke. Coders should think poka-yoke. Testers should think poka-yoke. Thinking about usability can lead to fewer bugs.

We are human and there will be bugs. To the extent that quality assurance fails at its primary purpose -- bug prevention -- it must achieve a secondary goal of bug detection.
- Boris Beizer
Software Testing Techniques

Prevention

Keep it simple. Make it easy for users to identify the expected correct way to use the software. Warn them if they try to do something wrong. Don't overwhelm users with unnecessary options.

When the risk of users not following a warning is great, prevent users from doing bad things. Things like list boxes and radio buttons can prevent users from entering invalid data. Data input constraints keep users and the software on the expected path. The security risks in web applications increase the necessity to prevent users from doing what they are not supposed to do.

Detection

It is especially important to detect errors that get past the warnings and constraints and stop processes before errors develop into bigger problems. The earlier an error is detected the easier it is to recover. Bad data detected when it enters a system does not have a chance to cascade into the rest of the system.

Poke-yoke thinking can improve usability and prevent bugs.



Some Poka-yoke resources on the web:


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