About

Software is well-designed when it is polite, like a faithful butler, said Alan Cooper, a well-known software designer. It is considerate, it serves us, it doesn’t waste our time, it anticipates our needs, it doesn’t bother us, and so much more. Follow these suggestions whenever you are designing a computer application, a website, a product, or even a service.

​​​​​​​What is polite software?

• Polite software is interested in me. It learns my habits, preferences, and needs. For example, email software that knows who my friends and family are, and suggests their email addresses as I type their names in the field.
• Polite software is deferential to me. It knows that I am the boss. A computer can make suggestions and advise me when I’m doing something wrong, but gives me the option to override it when necessary.
• Polite software is forthcoming. It informs me at the right time. For example, a printer can warn me when the toner is low, or if the document I’m planning to print is very long.
• Polite software has common sense. It has the right controls when I need them and doesn’t clutter the display with seldom used functions.
• Polite software anticipates my needs. Software should prepare for my next move. For example, a web browser that pre-loads page 2, while I’m reading page 1, to save time when I click for the next page.
• Polite software is responsive. It normally lets me work in peace, but will solve problems as they arise. For example, a laptop that automatically sets the correct screen resolution when I plug it into a low-resolution projector, and changes back when I unplug it.
• Polite software doesn’t bug me. It keeps pop-up messages and status bars to a minimum. For example, slide presentation software that turns-off ‘pings’ and update notifications, while I am giving a presentation.
• Polite software is well-informed. It does not show me options that don’t exist. For example, internet search engines will not display links to articles that no longer exist.
• Polite software is perceptive. It changes its behaviour according to my actions. For example, e-book software that re-opens the same book that you were last reading, on the correct page.
• Polite software is self-confident. It should not always pass on the responsibility to me. For example, when I delete a file, it mustn’t ask me “Are you sure…?” And if I change my mind, it should let me restore the deleted file.
• Polite software stays focused. It should not ask lots of annoying questions, it should do what I need. For example, web browsers that automatically fill in forms with your name and address and so forth.
• Polite software is flexible. It allows me to bend the rules and override the system. For example, businesses have call centres to deal with customer complaints because things don’t always go according to plan.
• Polite software gives instant gratification. It should just work, straight out of the box. For example, a video editing app that lets you do a complicated edit, with many video clips, music and titles, without reading a manual.
• Polite software is trustworthy. If software lets you down, you’ll never fully trust it again. For example, smartphones have fingerprint sensors and face scanning security features to keep our data secure.