the responsibility of trust

Observing users in their real-world setting is very humbling. Recently, I listened to one user say, over and over, that they trusted that the software was doing the right thing for them.

Trust. Such a small word, but the implications of it are absolutely staggering.

My time observing real users reminds me of the responsibility that I bear, that MacBU bears, that Microsoft bears. Software is a part of the everyday lives of our users. These people let this software into their lives, into their jobs, into their homes. And they expect that it will do the right thing. Many users (maybe not all of us jaded blog readers :) trust that software is going to do the right thing.

That is a huge responsibility. We've got to do our absolute best to live up to it. We don't always succeed, but it's imperative that it be our goal to do so. We have to be worthy of the trust that so many people place in us: that we make it easier for them to do their jobs, that we get out of their way, that we don't lose anything. For those whose trust we have lost, we have to rectify our errors and be able to prove that we're willing to work to regain their trust.