Writeup
What is recoverability ?
Recoverability is an important principle in human-computer interaction that supports usability.
It allows users to correct mistakes and continue using the system efficiently, which can help to
improve overall user satisfaction
. By designing systems with recoverability in mind, we can help to ensure that users can easily
recover from errors and continue to achieve their goals.
Robustness is the ability of a system to resist errors or failures, and to function properly
under a wide range of conditions.
Systematic structured productive orderly -efficient
Why is Recoverability Important?
Recoverability is essential in enhancing the user experience because it provides users with the
confidence to explore and experiment with the system without fear of making mistakes.
Users are more likely to engage with a system if they are confident that they can recover from
errors quickly and easily back to the functional state without causing data loss or any other
negative consequences
For example lets us assume that there is a file containing sales report of your company which you
made sitting uptil 3 am high on coffee after closing the file by accident you shift+delete the main file
thinking it is a garbage file , now the file is permanently deleted from your systems internal storage
now when you wake up to see that the file is missing and your remember what you did this will
create unnecessary chaos as the file contains critical data
now if the system was connected to onedrive the file would have automatically uploaded to the drive
and now from the onedrive a copy of the file can be restored and data lost is recovered
Recoverability also helps to minimize the impact of errors, reducing the potential loss of data or
other important information but is of lesser necessity while utilising robustness as it minimises the
occurrence of errors and failures in the first place
How Robustness Supports Recoverability
Robustness supports recoverability by reducing the likelihood of errors or failures, and by
minimizing their impact when they do occur.
Example of daily usage Is using the MS word we may accidentally say paste a text box or a edit a
picture wrongly the changes however can recovered by using the undo function or the case while
typing accidentally we delete word texts or Sentence that can be recovered by using "Redo"
functions in the software .
Another example can be the Autosave features in document editors that periodically save a copy of
the file in case of a crash or accidental closure.
A robust system is designed to handle errors and failures , and to provide users with clear feedback
and guidance on how to recover from them.
So what is the difference between robustness and recoverability
Robustness on one hand is the ability of a system to function correctly in the face of stressful
environmental conditions while Recoverability, on the other hand, is the ability of the system to
return to a desired state after a failure or error has occurred.
Recoverability can be initiated by the system or by the user, and there are two approaches to
recovery: forward error recovery and backward error recovery.
Forward Error Recovery
Forward error recovery involves the acceptance of the current state and negotiation from that state
towards the desired state. This approach is applicable when the effects of the interaction cannot be
reversed .
. For example, if a user accidentally deletes a file, they cannot simply “undo” the action . the system
may offer to recover the file from a backup or provide options to restore it.
Best case example are as follows
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"Did you mean?" feature that appears in search engines when a user misspells a word.
Instead of simply displaying "No results found," the system provides an alternative
suggestion that can help the user achieve their intended goal.
In a GPS navigation application, if you take a wrong turn, the application can recalculate the
route and provide new directions to get you back on track.
Backward Error Recovery
Backward error recovery is an attempt to undo the effects of previous interaction in order to return
to a prior state before proceeding.
This approach is useful in situations where it is possible to undo the effects of the error or mistake.
In a word processing application, if you accidentally delete a paragraph of text, you can use the
"Undo" function to restore the text ;;; the same we had seen earlier
Examples
In a web browser, if you accidentally close a tab, you can use the "Reopen Closed Tab" function to
reopen the tab and return to the prior state or use the shortcut CTRL+SHIFT +T
Another example of backward error recovery is the "Restore Defaults" or the “Reset settings ” option
that appears in many software applications. This allows users to return the system to its original state
if they have made changes that they are not happy with.
Initiating recovering
Recovery can be initiated by the system or by the user.
In some cases, the system may recognize an error and offer options for recovery.
Eg. Ms word has a feature called as Autosaved document (that is last version of the document saved
by the user ) and recover unsaved documents both useful features come to aid when a user forgets
to save the document and closes the document or if Ms word closes unexpectedly
In other cases, the user may need to initiate recovery themselves.
Example - user accidentally closes a browser window, they can reopen it and use the history to
navigate back to the page they were on before the error occurred. Ctrl+shift+t
There are two basis of recovery that are –
System-Initiated Recovery
It involves the system detecting an error and taking steps to recover from it automatically without
requiring user input. this type of recovery is useful in situations where the user is unable to respond
to the error, such as in automated systems.
This can be done automatically, such as when a system recovers from a crash or prompts the user to
save their work before closing an application
. It can also be done proactively, such as when a system alerts the user to potential errors or offers to
recover data from a backup.
ExamplesIn a mobile app, if the app crashes due to a software error, it can automatically restart and try to
recover the user's previous state.
In a database management system, if a disk failure occurs, the system can automatically switch to a
backup disk to prevent data loss.
, if a user tries to submit a form say a google form with missing information, the system may display
an error message and highlight the missing fields the user can recorrect and submit the form.
User-Initiated Recovery
It involves the user detecting the error and taking steps to recover from it manually that is it allows
users to take control of the recovery process and select the best approach to reach the desired state .
This type of recovery is useful when the system is unable to detect an error, or when the user has
more information about the error than the system does
For exampleIn a file manager application, if a file is accidentally deleted, the user can use the "Restore" function
to recover the file from a backup.
In a web-based email client, if you accidentally delete an important email, you can use the "Trash"
folder to recover the email.
Using in built restore functions in software applications for example if you accidentally shut down or
restart your system but did not want to close the chrome tabs , on reopening chrome it will display a
message stating to restore pages
Restarting a system or device to resolve issues so that the device can clear its cache and refresh its
RAM .
ResponsivenessWhat is responsiveness ?
Responsiveness is a key sub-principle of robustness, which is one of the fundamental
principles of usability in human-computer interaction. It refers to the rate of
communication between the system and the user, or in other words, how quickly the
system responds to user input
Example: When a user clicks on a button, the system should respond quickly by displaying a
loading icon or message to indicate that it is processing the request.
Importance of Responsiveness
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Responsiveness is important because it contributes to the user's satisfaction and
perception of the system.
A responsive system provides immediate feedback and can increase user productivity
and efficiency.
A non-responsive system can lead to frustration, decreased productivity, and user
abandonment.
Example: A slow-loading website can cause users to abandon the page and look for
alternatives, resulting in a loss of potential customers.
A system's responsiveness can greatly impact the user experience, as it affects the user's
perception of the system's speed, efficiency, and reliability.
In general, users expect a system to respond quickly and accurately to their input, and any
delays or errors can lead to frustration, confusion, and decreased productivity.
One way to measure responsiveness is through response time, which is the duration of
time needed by the system to express state changes to the user.
This includes both the time it takes for the system to receive and process the user's input, as
well as the time it takes for the system to provide feedback to the user.
For example, if a user clicks on a button in a software application, they expect the
application to respond quickly by performing the intended action and providing feedback,
such as a visual confirmation or a message indicating that the action was successful. If there
is a delay or no feedback, the user may become frustrated and unsure if the system has
received their input or if there is a problem.
_________________________________CONCLUSION_______________________________
Robustness and recoverability are important principles for supporting usability in software systems.
Robustness helps to prevent errors and failures, making recoverability less necessary