Bug Blindness

The author of this account has observed a phenomenon they term "bug blindness," where many people seem to ignore or dismiss software bugs. They note that they encounter hundreds to thousands of bugs per week, while most others rarely notice any issues. The author believes that programmers, or those who frequently interact with software, are better positioned to spot these problems. By pointing out bugs to friends and acquaintances, the author has found that many start noticing issues after a few weeks.

When asked to evaluate software by directors and executives, the author has found a mix of mild to moderate bugs, with occasional severe issues where the software doesn't work as intended. These severe issues often involve users having to use workarounds to make the software functional, leading to a poor user experience. The author suggests that when a product appears severely flawed, it likely is.

The author has had this perspective for a decade or more, but was hesitant to write about it, fearing they might inadvertently trigger bugs that normal users wouldn't encounter. However, after seeing multiple instances where products launch with significant issues users uncover, the author is confident that noticing bugs is crucial. They mention using large language models to act like normal users and confirm that these issues are consistent across various scenarios.

The author provides examples of poor search results from major engines like Google, Bing, and Kagi. For Kagi, while most found the search engine acceptable, the author consistently found it to return poor results, full of SEO spam and scams. The author believes this falls under their moderate criteria for bug severity, not severe.

They also discuss their experiences with Volvo reliability, noting that while they believe Volvos are above average in reliability, online forums often have the opposite view, showing how people can become blind to a product's faults they are passionate about.

Finally, the author highlights Blackboard, a course management software once widely used in universities. The author describes Blackboard as one of the most disliked software platforms, with over 93% of respondents in a survey hating it. The author recalls a conversation with a former Blackboard employee who, when asked about working on the disliked software, the employee remained positive.

This discrepancy in perception between the author and the employee illustrates the concept of bug blindness, where passionate users can ignore a product's flaws that normal users would notice.