When Mistakes Speak: What User Errors Reveal About Design

Using an app is a lot like navigating a maze. You start with a goal in mind, sending a message, sharing a photo. But along the way, you hit dead ends, take unexpected turns, and sometimes stumble upon hidden shortcuts. And just like in a maze, these “wrong turns” aren’t just hurdles but they’re clues about how people expect the path to unfold.

Every user takes their own route. Some speed ahead, while others pause at every turn, looking for signs. And these patterns come from years of experience-whether its habits from other apps, personal workflows, or even comfort with technology. But what we often overlook is that every hesitation, every misstep, has a story behind it.

I remember watching a senior participant exploring a messaging app. She moved slowly, reading every label, hesitating before tapping. But in this slow approach, they uncovered a feature hidden in plain sight-something even the most experienced users had overlooked, saying- “Wait, this was here all along?” On the other side, a tech-savvy participant breezed through tasks until they suddenly got stuck, confused and trying to follow the experience from another platform in the app. 

In the same app, with two different journeys- their “mistakes” were actually revealing new insights about expectation versus reality.

In every round of research, I’d hear a familiar sentiment, especially from upper middle-aged, Low-DL users – “Oh! I got to learn a lot in today’s activity, so many new features!” And some moms, who often rely on their kids for tech help, only to be met with delays or half explanations- would light up with excitement, saying, “Can I do this once again? Wow, I’ll share this with my friends!”

Then there were those small but telling moments when someone would suddenly realize, “Oh, it was right here in front of me! I thought this might be a different icon.” And in that instant, I’d think, right, even my mom would perceive it that way.

And, when I’d be out with friends and hear them casually discussing that app’s features, I’d find myself instinctively leaning in, listening closely. Almost without thinking, I’d ask, “So what do you think it does then?” gathering feedback in the most natural way. And as they shared their thoughts, I’d smile to myself, realizing that even these points were something that we uncovered in the study. Because sometimes, the best insights aren’t just in structured research sessions- they’re always in the moments of curiosity and discovery.