Molly Guard
17 hours ago
- #engineering
- #safety
- #UI/UX
- A 'molly guard' is a plastic safety cover preventing accidental button presses, named after an engineer's daughter who pressed a big red button in a datacenter.
- Molly guards are seen in various forms, from recessed buttons to SIM card ejection holes, and even in software like 'are you sure?' dialogs.
- Reverse molly guards are buttons that press themselves if inactive for a while, preventing inaction, such as a machine waiting uselessly for input.
- Molly guards also exist in hardware like table saw power switches, requiring conscious effort to activate and deactivating upon accidental bumps.