Last week, I was writing some help and, in the process, was asking some “what ifs,” more particularly, “What if a user has things set up this way and then wants to change it this certain way?” It was something I thought the application would allow, but when I was writing the help, I tried to do it and couldn’t.

I talked to the interaction designer and a SME, and they said that users’ situations would rarely if ever call for the kind of change I was trying to document. I’m glad the system supports the process properly. I’m just glad I asked the question and experimented before I stuck my foot in my mouth.

Today, the designer showed me his prototype of the screen I was writing about. The drop-down box where this certain change wasn’t allowed now had a little question mark icon. When he moused over it, alt text appeared that explained that this certain change couldn’t be made. The designer figured that if I had asked the question, users may ask it too.

I like offering a part of that perspective—coming to the interface fresh, thinking through various situations, and asking “what if?” Some of those what ifs may not apply, but at least if the question is asked, it gets people thinking.

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