Top tips: Designing systems people won’t work around

Top tips is a weekly column where we highlight what’s trending in the tech world today and list ways to explore these trends. This week, we’re looking at why people bypass systems—and how better design choices can prevent it.

When people work around systems, it’s tempting to blame their behavior. In reality, most employee workarounds are signals. These workarounds show where friction exists, where workflows don’t match reality, or where the system asks for too much, too soon.

Designing systems people actually use isn’t about adding enforcement. It’s about removing the reasons to avoid them.

1. Make the right path the fastest path 

If following the system takes longer than bypassing it, you’ve already lost. Speed matters more than policy.

Start by identifying the minimum action required to move work forward. Remove or postpone anything that isn’t immediately necessary. Use defaults generously so users aren’t forced to make decisions they don’t care about. If logging something takes under a minute, people will do it without thinking.

2. Design around how work actually happens 

Systems often assume ideal conditions: full context, uninterrupted time, and perfect information. Real work is none of these things.

Build systems that tolerate partial inputs and interruptions. Allow users to start a task with limited information and refine it later. Clear next step cues matter more than perfectly structured forms. If a system supports real-world messiness, people won’t feel the need to step outside it.

3. Make the benefit visible at the moment of use 

Many systems fail because they feel like overhead. Users give input, but don’t see what they get back.

Solve this by shortening the feedback loop. Show status updates, faster responses, or reduced follow-ups directly inside the system. When users experience immediate value—even something small—they’re far more likely to return instead of finding shortcuts.

4. Standardize outcomes, not behavior

Overly rigid systems try to control every step. That usually backfires.

Instead, define what must be consistent—security, approvals, traceability—and loosen everything else. Let users reach the outcome in ways that suit their working style. When people feel trusted within clear boundaries, they’re less inclined to bypass the system altogether.

Why this matters 

Workarounds aren’t failures—they’re feedback. Systems that respect time, support real workflows, and deliver visible value don’t need constant policing. When the easiest option is also the correct one, people follow the system not because they’re forced to, but because it makes sense.