Stress cases

Edge cases are annoying to fix; often they feel more like stumbling blocks than opportunities to improve the current solution to a problem. While this may seem like a relatively small semantic difference, I prefer to call these situations stress cases instead. This simple re-framing focuses on the increased number of scenarios that can be accommodated (i.e. making a product even more compelling) rather than grumbling about the ones that can't.

Ideally, products should effectively serve anyone who wants to use them, not just those who are easiest to design for. Excluding people with valid uses for a product because it takes more work feels wrong. Not only is it a limiting (and likely prejudiced) mindset, it's also bad business. Stress cases often help grow the total addressable market for a product. So, embrace them and look for creative solutions.