Don’t let the barrel of frustration overflow. That’s one of the first principles I learned during a (web) accessibility class, part of ux (user experience) course, years ago.
Imagine spending time on a slow website that a machine has translated, that only works in one particular browser, unoptimized for mobile, a search function in a place where you’d never expect it… Every issue along the way adds frustrations to the proverbial barrel until it’s full.
When the barrel overflows, we quit trying and potentially have an emotional reaction — not the good kind — to boot.
Customers’ barrels of frustration aren’t necessarily empty when they start making use of your product. Maybe, due to lack of sleep, their barrel can only hold two additional drops of frustration.
Remove all frustrating hurdles so your customer can get the most out of using your product or service. Keeping their barrels in check in the process.