Wording is important in good human-computer interaction design. Wording of commands, messages, status and other interface elements can make a big difference. So let’s think for a minute about the word “safe”.

Safe is good, right? Is there anything bad about “safe”?

Firefox has a “Safe Mode”. And it’s a really bad idea. Why, you ask? “Safe” sounds really reassuring. An army of marketing experts could hardly come up with a better word, you would think.

So what’s not to like?

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