Defensive design

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Defensive design is the practice of planning for contingencies in the design stage of a project or undertaking. Essentially, it is the practice of anticipating all possible ways that an end-user could misuse a device, and designing the device so as to make such misuse impossible, or to minimise the negative consequences. For example, if it is important that a plug be inserted into a socket in a particular orientation, the socket and plug will be designed so that it is physically impossible to insert the plug incorrectly. Power sockets are often keyed in such a manner, to prevent the transposition of live and neutral.

Defensive design in software engineering is called defensive programming. Murphy's law is a light-hearted statement of the need for defensive design.

This has also been called "Designing for Drunks."