The concept of baka-yoke is, in my opinion, ingenious. It allows us not to make many mistakes every day. What does it consist of?
Actually, the concept of baka-yoke was formally described (you can also find an expression with the same meaning - poka-yoke) was in the middle of the last century by a Japanese engineer who worked for Toyota. Its essence is to design a part or a whole device, to prevent its incorrect installation or use. This is achieved in an elementary way - due to asymmetry.
A typical example is memory sticks for a computer, which can only be inserted into the correct slot and only the right side. The fact is that the RAM strips have asymmetrical cutouts and it is simply impossible to install them incorrectly. An equally well-known example is many plugs and connectors. The same USB or HDMI connectors are specially designed with baka-yoke in mind, so that it was impossible to insert them incorrectly.
Baka-y ke can also be found in the software. Firstly, most developers use a system for confirming user actions (the user usually receives a warning in the form of system messages and the need to confirm his actions by pressing the "Yes" or "No" buttons). You can also protect yourself from stupid user actions that will lead to significant problems in the system or with the device by limiting user rights.
Historical reference:
1. The translation of the expression "baka-yoke" corresponds to the English idiot proof or foolproof (protected from misuse). Some connoisseurs of the Russian language believe that this translation of this expression first appeared after the publication of "One-Story America" by Ilf and Petrov.
2. The translation of poka-yoke corresponds to the English mistake-proofing. But the essence of the baka-yoke concept, according to experts, is more precisely expressed in the first word.
