Designing Tools for Operators
Operators do not use tools the way designers imagine users use tools.
Operators are often busy, interrupted, watching multiple systems, and trying to prevent a small issue from becoming a large one.
That changes the design priorities.
Status must be obvious. Errors must be plain. Controls must be predictable. Dangerous actions should be hard to trigger accidentally. Recovery should be clear.
The best operator tools feel calm. They do not compete for attention until attention is required.
That is a design goal I keep returning to.