16 Dec 2002 | Mick said...

When things go wrong; a guide for fixing the inevitable

16 Dec 2002 | birdman said...

Design 404: Planning for Excellent Errors.

16 Dec 2002 | Bill Brown said...

Murphy's Law for the Twenty-First Century

Alternatives: The Hallmark of Good Design

16 Dec 2002 | birdman said...

40 Ways to Excellent Errors.

16 Dec 2002 | indi said...

Designing for the Unexpected - Interfaces That Fail Gracefully

16 Dec 2002 | Bill Brown said...

Unexpected Results: Anticipating the Unanticipated

16 Dec 2002 | Bill Brown said...

Design Not Found: Anticipating the Unexpected

Hell, you've already got the domain.

16 Dec 2002 | db said...

sorry, my bad

16 Dec 2002 | Darrel said...

Plan B

16 Dec 2002 | Benjy said...

Doh!
Improving Design for when Things go Wrong

16 Dec 2002 | bk said...

Insert Message Here - Effective Error and Message Design

16 Dec 2002 | fab said...

Error 404: Think, McFly!

16 Dec 2002 | STW said...

Good idea Bill. I really like:

Design Not Found: Anticipating the Unexpected

Either that, or a slight tweaking of birdman's idea:

Design 404: Excellent Planning for Unexpected Errors.

16 Dec 2002 | biplikkity said...

Contigency Design for Dummies

16 Dec 2002 | Steven Garrity said...

I also like the line stolen from your Design Not Found site: design for when things go wrong. It's the best way I've heard contingency design explained.

16 Dec 2002 | JF said...

Design for when things go wrong

We've tried that one but the editor isn't feeling it.

16 Dec 2002 | Ed said...

When Sites Attack! : Designing for the worst case

16 Dec 2002 | OP said...

Help me help you: how to design for when things go wrong

OR

Oh Sh**! What to do when your site messes up

16 Dec 2002 | Eccentric Gardener said...

Contingency Design Online: Good Designs for Bad Situations

Ugh.

Right Designs for Wrong Situations

Blech.

Design Right Mistakes.

Oy, this isn't easy.

16 Dec 2002 | Bob said...

Contingency Design: Ensuring a Positive Web Experience.

or

Contingency Design: Web Usability When It Counts.

16 Dec 2002 | chris said...

(Website) Errors are a possibility. Plan for anything possible.

Contingency Design: Make websites work when they don't work.

You don't want the word "contingency" used anywhere in the title?

16 Dec 2002 | ek said...

Probably not, I think that most people won't have a clue as to what it (contingency design) is.

16 Dec 2002 | Eccentric Gardener said...

Design for Disaster:
A Guide to Web Site Help, Error Messages, and User Mistakes

16 Dec 2002 | Jed Borod said...

Designs On Disorder: Creating Interfaces That Fail Gracefully

16 Dec 2002 | ek said...

Definitely keep 'em coming, these are all great!

Does anyone have any ideas for titles that don't include the word "design"?

17 Dec 2002 | Doh! said...

Obvious Bullshit: Design for Idiots

17 Dec 2002 | ek said...

Hey, that includes "design."

17 Dec 2002 | indi said...

Foolproof Websites - Building Interfaces that Fail Gracefully

Hey, so I'm stuck on alliteration today :-)

17 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

"Design Not Found: Anticipating the Unexpected"
this is my favorite!

how bout:

websites that (dont) work

function vs. chaos : building websites that work

wheres my mop(or other word)?
when websites confuse us

17 Dec 2002 | Hurley said...

When Bad Things Happen to Good Websites

17 Dec 2002 | Hurley said...

Plan B: Back-Pocket Strategies to Prevent Online Disasters

17 Dec 2002 | Hurley said...

Hm, I can see I didn't quite understand the concept of contingency design myself.

Better titles might be:

Failing Successfully

or

Making Mistakes Well (this is lifted from your paper)

17 Dec 2002 | peck said...

In Case of Emergency... - a handbook for contingency design

17 Dec 2002 | dhaskins said...

Contingency Design - How To Design For When Things Go Wrong

17 Dec 2002 | Bob said...

It should be optimistic:

Improving the Web Experience: A Builder's Guide

Web Success: User Satisfaction on the WWW.

You get the idea...

17 Dec 2002 | Beth said...

"Be Prepared"...I know it is the Boy Scout motto, but it works. Then you could add a smaller subtitle like "Contingency Web Design for True Survivors" or some such drama. Survivor is a popular word right now. Then you could get crazy with the design using patches and computer camp type stuff. I'm such a nerd. I loved computer camp when I was a kid.

17 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

Who is your user group? Usability people who already get it, or developers et al., who don't.

1) "What just happened?" Three words users should never say.

2) The Myth of User Error - Moving beyond, "Try again later."

17 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

BTW, JF, let me know the publishing date so I can include you'all's book in the User Experience Mag's book announcement section.

17 Dec 2002 | Tom said...

Learn contingency design in 21 days!

17 Dec 2002 | Joshua Kaufman said...

"Anticipating the Unexpected" is okay, but I think it just sounds good more than anything. It's not very clear whom youre helping here. Maybe "Design Not Found: Helping Web Designers Anticipate the Unexpected"

I like Bob's idea of keeping it optimistic. And since it's really all about the user, maybe we should include them? "Design Not Found: Helping Users Succeed on the Web"

17 Dec 2002 | bill said...

Designing for the inevitable

17 Dec 2002 | Jesper said...

Making mistakes well
Web site design for the rest of us.

17 Dec 2002 | drake said...

Oops, I designed it again.

17 Dec 2002 | Scott said...

Prepared To Fail
Web design for every contingency.

17 Dec 2002 | Jesper said...

(make that
Making mistakes well
(Making )Web sites for the rest of us
)

17 Dec 2002 | Hurley said...

Anticipating the Fallible User: How Good Websites Manage User Errors Constructively

17 Dec 2002 | JF said...

Question: Do you think including "design" in the title will turn off copywriters, information architects, or anyone else who wouldn't consider themselves a "designer" ? The book covers design topics/issues/suggestions, language/writing topics, a few minor issues for programmers to think about, etc. It would defintely be classified a "web design" book before a book on IA, copywriting, programming, or business.

17 Dec 2002 | Charlie Park said...

Yo' Wizeb Sizite iz Brizoke, dog.
How web sites should work when things go wrong.

17 Dec 2002 | Jason said...

Sloppy Seconds

17 Dec 2002 | cruxman said...

e-Oops

17 Dec 2002 | Charlie Park said...

Infallible Sites for Fallible Users

(is that too negative, though? I mean, in terms of the users.)

17 Dec 2002 | Charlie Park said...

Hurley - I hadn't seen your post ... and I thought I was introducing a new word to the discussion. Shoot.

17 Dec 2002 | Matt said...

404 no more:
user experience and the unexpected

17 Dec 2002 | paul said...

HOW TO GET HOT WOMEN TO SLEEP WITH YOU
also (in smaller letters): how to design for when things go wrong.

or

The How To Design For When Things Go Wrong Handbook.

because everyone loves handbooks.

17 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

"Do you think including "design" in the title will turn off copywriters, information architects, or anyone else who wouldn't consider themselves a "designer" ?"

No. Design is a very broad word which can mean the creation of anything, but it usually means "putting lots of effort and time into creating something that will used by others". For instance: Don Norman changed his book "The Psychology of Everyday Things" to "The Design of Everyday Things" which I think is a much better title. I dont think you should avoid the word design. you just need to support it correctly. dont use the phrase "web designers" - thats too vague and old-fashioned and it leaves out out too many other groups. maybe you could say "usability not found" or something similar. there are so many "design & usability" books out there with every conceivable title. You should go with something that has the 37 flavor in it. Youre well-known : capitalize on that.

17 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

"404 no more:
user experience and the unexpected"

oooh. very clever. i think Matts up for free book.

17 Dec 2002 | seth said...

"Your Int0rweb is Broken!" - Designing for the Digital Unexpected.

17 Dec 2002 | g.love said...

Helpful Design
Designing for Errors

17 Dec 2002 | Jed Borod said...

Graceful Failure - Designing for When Things Go Wrong

Elegant Breakdown - Designing for When Things Go Wrong

or go for literary pretensions...

Things Fall Apart

17 Dec 2002 | Apu said...

How we conned New Riders into publishing a book by us.

(Oh "elite" Web craftsmen, fix the freakin' TABINDEX on this page. Try pressing tab after entering a comment, nuts.)

17 Dec 2002 | wow said...

that's pretty harsh. I see a few people here suggesting things that in the past have bashed people for offering creative work for nothing in return. hypocrites.

17 Dec 2002 | SU said...

How we conned New Riders into publishing a book by us.

Hmmm... That could work! We'll keep you posted if we use it.

(Oh "elite" Web craftsmen, fix the freakin' TABINDEX on this page. Try pressing tab after entering a comment, nuts.)

Fixed.

17 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

(Oh "elite" Web craftsmen, fix the freakin' TABINDEX on this page. Try pressing tab after entering a comment, nuts.)

Fixed.

Actually this would be elite. Getting something out there for people to use and making it more useful by responding (in a timely manner) to "customer" feedback makes for an elite Web crafter.

17 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

Hm. I did close the em tag after "Fixed." Oh well.

17 Dec 2002 | Tim said...

No Problem
Delivering Web Users From Error

17 Dec 2002 | Darrel said...

"Question: Do you think including "design" in the title will turn off copywriters, information architects, or anyone else who wouldn't consider themselves a "designer" ?

Everyone is a designer. If an IA or copywriter don't see themselves as designing, well, I guess that's their loss.

17 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

"that's pretty harsh. I see a few people here suggesting things that in the past have bashed people for offering creative work for nothing in return. hypocrites."

oh right. like you can compare hours of work for nothing with a one-minute idea. get off it already. if you cant take critisism then get a new job.

17 Dec 2002 | pixelBoy0 said...

Some ideas:

All Roads Lead Back
How to never lose a user.
(could substitute "Links" for "Roads")

The Ways of Your Error
How to plan for anything.
(a play on the "error of your ways" quote)

To Error is Human...
To Really Screw Things Up Takes a User.
(sure it's a little negative, but boy do I feel better)

17 Dec 2002 | Humbug said...

[B]Managing Website Errors Effectively[/B]

[B]50 Ways to improve Error Handling on your Website[/B]

or something like that...

17 Dec 2002 | Humbug said...

Again,

Managing Website Errors Effectively

50 Ways to improve Error Handling on your Website

or something like that...

17 Dec 2002 | Darrel said...

This web site fucking sucks: How to erradicate that phrase from your users' vocabulary.

The 'fucking' may be a bit too much. I dunno.

17 Dec 2002 | d.bogus said...

Contingency Web Design: planning for users, errors, and the unexpected

17 Dec 2002 | Ry said...

Create the failsafe website
Because good graphics, cheap prices and celebrity spokespeople don't sell to the frustrated shopper anymore.

17 Dec 2002 | Taylor said...

The Day My Website Died

17 Dec 2002 | STW said...

To Error is Human...
To Really Screw Things Up Takes a User.
(sure it's a little negative, but boy do I feel better)

Haha, nice one pixelBoy0! I'm going to have to tell that one to my usability professor.

17 Dec 2002 | Darrel said...

You have a usability professor?

Cool.

18 Dec 2002 | Bill Brown said...

Planning for Error: How to Make Your Web Site Anticipate the Unexpected

Sorry, I really like the idea of anticipating the unexpected. I think it would resonate with IAs, designers, and developers.

18 Dec 2002 | mini-d said...

Think twice, then design

18 Dec 2002 | mini-d said...

I should admit Darrel has a big talent for phrases...

18 Dec 2002 | mini-d said...

It was the only one who made me laugh

18 Dec 2002 | jedrek said...

How Things Don't Work

18 Dec 2002 | Jakob S said...

Making wrongs right

18 Dec 2002 | Don Schenck said...

I'm *sure* you know about titling a book: a catchy, even off-the-wall, title, with a very subject-related subtitle.

So, need a proofreader? I used to be a journalist!

18 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

I'm *sure* you know about titling a book: a catchy, even off-the-wall, title, with a very subject-related subtitle.

So, need a proofreader? I used to be a journalist!

Don, do you do work on the design side? Or focus on the 'user experience?' Let me know if you'd be interested in writing an article.

Always looking for authors for future issues of the mag I work on (conveniently titled User Experience).

Sorry 37, not trying to 'sell' on your site. ;)

18 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

Darrel said: You have a usability professor? Cool.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ( HFES) has a list of grad schools that have human factors, HCI, ergonomics, et al. programs. Many focus on usability. Indiana University, Carnegie Mellon, Institute of Design (in Chicago) have good programs.

Here's a link to the school list on the HFES Web site:

http://hfes.org/publications/2002gradschools/TofC.html

18 Dec 2002 | Darrel said...

Thanks for the info Fajalar. BTW, on your usability site, you forgot to specify a background color.

18 Dec 2002 | fajalar said...

Dammit Jim, I'm a designer, not a developer. ;)

I'll fix it. Though my connection is down for a few days. Just moved and DSL is not set up yet, so I can't log in to update. Well, I could, but I am still packing up the old place. :P

18 Dec 2002 | ~bc said...

37 ways to say I'm sorry :: What to do when your website fails!

or

Admins to users: Quit your bitchin' :: A Guide to keeping your customers happy!

18 Dec 2002 | Paperhead said...

Tasty SNAFU

Bad Mistakes, Good Design

All Fucked Up, Everything Fine

Falling off a bicycle - A User Guide

Like a Website Needs a 37

404 + 37 = A - OK

Fail Better [Beckett quote]

if you want it to be popular, just remember to put:

DON'T PANIC

on the cover ;)

18 Dec 2002 | indi said...

Expletive Deleted -- Web Interfaces that Won't Strand Users

18 Dec 2002 | STW said...

You have a usability professor?
Cool.

Yeah, I'm taking a class in the usabilty lab next semester here at IIT. It should be fun, or at least teach me a thing or two about users.

18 Dec 2002 | Dan Rubin said...

JF said:
> Design for when things go wrong
We've tried that one but the editor isn't feeling it.

It sounds to me like your editor needs to take one of your contingency design classes :-)

I think you should stick with what you know, and "Design Not Found: Design For When Things Go Wrong" is your best starting point. If you don't want "Design" in there twice (probably a good idea), then just remove it: "Design Not Found: When Things Go Wrong"

I just showed the DNF site to my mother, a late-50's, mostly non-computer literate woman (she uses her old PowerMac with Word 5.1, IE5, and OE5, and she's not quite comfortable with the copy-and-paste concept yet, after 4 years or so), and she immediately understood the concept, no questions asked. That's the kind of message you want/need to convey, because if someone like my mother can understand it (with no coaching from me -- I just typed the URL into her browser, and watched as the site loaded and she immediately said "that makes sense") then any designer, IA, copywriter or programmer will easily recognize its meaning. You have to appeal not just to the Amazon crowd, but those searching the isles of Borders with their necks at a 45-degree angle scanning the spines of the web books for new titles.

"Design Not Found" will make sense. It's usable. Don't let your editor force you into making a usability mistake.

18 Dec 2002 | kristoff said...

So to attract all those dot com ceo's:

Making. It. Work. Really!

18 Dec 2002 | alisha said...

"Design Not Found" will make sense. It's usable. Don't let your editor force you into making a usability mistake."

I have to admit: I love the title too.

18 Dec 2002 | wr said...

Hey,

I'd like to make a comment about something I'd like to see in your book (if that's okay).

I'm expecting there to be examples of poor contingency design and solutions to these problems ala Better FedEx, etc.

I'd also like to see some discussion of the technical hows and not just the design hows - eg. stuff like "we used a cookie to store this information and then the server side code compares it to....". I'm not asking for source code - just explaining the concept should be enough - and I'm not asking for a lot of this - maybe 2 or 3 examples, as that should be enough to fire the brain into thinking about how to solve similar problems.

Why do I think this is important? Well, I'm a developer so my perspective is skewed, but also because a lot of resistance to contingency design might come from people (developers, project managers/sponsors) saying "it's too hard - we can't do it". Show them the benefits and the how to and I suspect your ideas will gain even greater acceptance.

18 Dec 2002 | Didier said...

First of all I think some people are looking for titles that are somewhat too witty or sophisticated (or even too technical). I think simplicity is the key. Don't we all judge books by their title (at first)? It should capture the attention of potential readers within seconds (if not milliseconds).

Of course there's some room for more extended or funny text in a subtitle. That being said it's still not easy to find a suitable title that'll fit the description in a few words.

I'm saying this because I think you're book has a broader target market then just those dedicated webdesigners or coders. This book is useful for managment too, if not more usefull since it can mean loosing money or making money. So maybe a slightly more conservative title could attract those people into buying the book to (and as a result become a reference in the business).

I've been looking around and playing around with a few words. But well, although it seems easier to define what is not suitable it surely is harder to actually find a title that sums it all up!

Intercept Website Deficiencies
Don't Loose Customers When Errors Occur.

Well, it surely isn't perfect and it might be a little too conservative. But heck... it was my shot at it. Keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Didier

18 Dec 2002 | tight said...

Don't Loose Customers When Errors Occur...

hehe. hey didier, do they get promiscuous or just drunk when they encounter an error?

19 Dec 2002 | Didier said...

Well, well. Just as I thought I'd deliver a serious note, there I go and blow it all on a typo (or was it not a typo, you'll never know, could also be my lack of understanding the english spelling...). Anyway, hey, I'm glad to see that - although not intended - I managed to make it sound ridiculous. As you probably all figured out by now, it should be "lose", and not "loose".

19 Dec 2002 | Didier said...

Ok, I made up my mind: I have a poor understanding of the english spelling. I just found out I made the "lose/loose" error twice. So that ends all speculations...

19 Dec 2002 | Anonymous Coward said...

post removed by 37censor

19 Dec 2002 | Paperhead said...

ok, sensible suggestion, plain language:

Failsafe Design :: Profit From Errors

20 Dec 2002 | hurley said...

Couple more:

Do Not Adjust Your Set: The art of making Web sites that build user loyalty even when things go wrong

Breaking the 98% Barrier: How to make Web sites that work 100% of the time--even when things go wrong

(It seems to me that many sites work 98% of the time, but if they leave the user faced with unhelpful or nonintuitive error messages 2% of the time, those bad experiences will loom larger in the user's impression of the site than the 98% success rate).

20 Dec 2002 | BM said...

Hi mates,

Taking in consideration your pragmatic approach to currently design, usability and functionality errors, wich is visible in the unique style of your work ... my sugestion goes for the following two titles:

a) Contingency Design: Making the Web Smarter;
b) Contingency Design: Websites for humans;

Why? Because your design theory try to prevent commun errors and misleading functionality and usability issues. It make the website smarter for the user experience. Also, it have a humanistic side, since its based on making the userflow more effective and intuitive. I think the contingency design approach have a lot of IA work and even dealing with large amounts of data is possible to make a website that seems rather "natural and human" to the user.

Wich you the best for the book. When can i order it?

,-)

20 Dec 2002 | Steve said...

Wrong Way, Go Back

ReDirecting the User Experience

Railroad Users on Your Website

User Experience Disaster Recovery

Escape Hatches: Getting Web Users out of Tough Situations

All Links Lead to a Good User Experience

Last Minute Save: Helping Web Users Stay on the Right Track

Which Way Up? Keeping Web Users in the Right Track

Keep the Bermuda Triangle Out of Your Website

Contingency Design: A Compass for Your Website

Web Design Rescue Mission

Push Here to Eject: Escape Hatches for Your Users

20 Dec 2002 | Chas said...

Now What Do I Do?

Making Your Web Site Think So Your Users Won't Have to

20 Dec 2002 | Mathew said...

Planning for failure: Getting it right when things go wrong

20 Dec 2002 | J.F. Hickey said...

"Back on Track: Recovering from Failure"

"To Err is Human: To Forgive, Design"

I also like "All Roads Lead Back" or "All Links Lead Back" (pixelboy0 - 17 Dec.)

William Blake said something I remember as "The path of folly leads but to the House of Wisdom."

20 Dec 2002 | Jigrah said...

Plan for failure successfully

WTF! tagline here :)

???
Nah!

20 Dec 2002 | Jigrah said...

Fix it before it breaks.

21 Dec 2002 | Jamie said...

If All Else Fails

21 Dec 2002 | zeldman said...

Design Not Found:
Designing the Web for When Things Go Wrong

22 Dec 2002 | Tina said...

Title: Fall Back Design
Subtitle: Your Guide to Fixing the Potholes of the Web Design.

22 Dec 2002 | reggie said...

Contingency Design: (on) Preventing the unexpected (errors)

Contingency Design: (on) Avoiding possible problems (/errors/pitfals)

The words in parens are optional.

22 Dec 2002 | reggie said...

(On) Designing errors:
No more dead ends online

Design for errors:
because things go wrong

(Expect the best,) Plan for the worst:
(an online) designers survival guide

other half formed ideas:
- anticipate failings
- caught with your pants down
- keep users moving (/using)

29 Dec 2002 | Kristoffer Bohmann said...

1. Making Mistakes Well: The Best and Worst of Contingency Design

2. Design Not Found: The Best and Worst of Contingency Design (design for when things go wrong)

03 Jan 2003 | Fletch said...

Simple Made Simple

08 Jan 2003 | NetizenKane said...

As a lover of digital design, a code neophyte, and a marketing director, I hear what your editor's saying. Few of these titles jump off the shelf as you walk through the roughly 100,000,000 sq. ft. Barnes & Noble. You obviously want to appeal to the greatest number of potential readers, and, that said, not everyone who picks up your book will buy it, but no one who doesn't, will.

So. Alternatives, or leaping points for others:

Saving Grace
Best Practice Design for Worst Case Scenarios

Safety.Net
Anticipating the User Experience

FoolProof
Unbreakable Design for the Online Experience

I imagine your book will touch on more than just making sure the user experience is error free -- I don't know about you, but I don't come across errors all *that* often -- so maybe you'd be better off letting readers know you're imparting your knowledge on how not only to make things error-free but also providing an optimal experience online.

My two cents.

12 Jan 2003 | WhatThe said...

So When is this "book" going to come out?

16 Jan 2003 | Lee said...

Title:
Error Handling

Subtitle:
Prevention, Correction, Recovery.

27 Jan 2003 | James said...

No. It's not OK.

31 Jan 2003 | ML said...

So When is this "book" going to come out?

This "book" will "come out" this "summer."

09 Feb 2003 | Kristoffer Bohmann said...

Title:
Prevent Web Errors

Sub-title:
Better Error Messages, Form Help, and Other Interaction Elements When Things Go Wrong

13 Feb 2003 | angelday said...

Britney Spears Naked

27 Feb 2003 | Sylvain said...

coding for herrors

01 Mar 2003 | quam said...

"Incommunicate [sic]"

13 Mar 2003 | Stu said...

BOOK TITLE IDEAS:

1. Design Errors: Be prepared (pun)
2. Poor design, not what?
3. Design's not perfect, so be prepared
4. Design's not perfect, but solutions can be
5. Interface Errors & Solutions
6. Design for Success
7. Designs break so fix them right!
8. Design errors- fix them right!
9. Design right & dont leave them hanging
10. Flawless design for designs with flaws
11. Contingency Design: Better experience and how
12. Contingency Design: Frustration free design
13. Planning effective designs
14. Planning effective interface designs
15. Creating effective designs
16. Effective solutions to ineffective design
17. 37 Ways to effective design
18. 37signals of effective design
19. Why design fails
20. Effective planning for Design failure
21. Smart design
22. Think first design second
23. design smart and users will succeed
24. desing + plan = success
25. design effective smart soltuons
26. the right way to fix broken designs
27. How to fix broken designs
28. Design Mistakes: Preparing for the worst
29. What to do when designs go wrong
30. Design predicaments, what now?
31. Design is flawed, but why?
32. Design & make it better
33. success-plan=failure
34. Smart design creates smiles

13 Nov 2003 | Scrivs said...

Was this book ever written? I just wanted to know.