SURVIVE checklist
Seven prompts to help your users understand and act.
Download survive checklistThink Like a Teacher,
Build Better Software.
My Laracon AU 2026 talk: a zombie outbreak. One very stressed Gerald. And software that really needs to explain what happens next.
Help people understand, recover and finish—before the zombies catch up.
The Software Teaches Toolkit
Take the teaching lens back to your team. Pick one feature, follow a difficult path, and make the next step clearer.
PDF · 11 pages · Ready to use
Everything in one pack.
The SURVIVE checklist, a feature review worksheet, before-and-after examples, an error message rewrite guide, a notification purpose matrix and workflow worksheets.
Examples cover forms, dashboards, permissions, notifications and API outcomes. The ZIP also includes editable examples, a CSV matrix and an illustrative JSON response.
Just need one thing? Download individual resources
Feature review worksheet
Trace a difficult path and plan one practical improvement.
Download feature review worksheetBefore-and-after examples
Small rewrites across five familiar product situations.
Download before-and-after examplesError message rewrite guide
Explain the situation, impact and supported next step.
Download error message rewrite guideNotification purpose matrix
Choose history, notification, direct message, alert or escalation.
Download notification purpose matrixWorkflow review worksheets
Map hand-offs, failure, recovery and the final outcome.
Download workflow review worksheetsOne escaped monkey. A lot of very unhelpful software.
Gerald is a security officer. He wants to eat his sandwich and go home at five. Unfortunately, Lab Three has other plans.
Something is definitely wrong.
Can SIREN help Gerald report it? Follow the story in the talk—and bring the teaching lens back to your own software.
Help people SURVIVE your software.
Use these prompts on a form, workflow, dashboard or API response. Open a letter to see what to look for.
SStateShow me where I am
Distinguish loading, empty, filtered, no access and failed states. Give each a useful next step.
UUnderstandingUnpack what this means
Use familiar words. Explain technical terms and what a message means for the user’s task.
RRulesRemove the guesswork
Show requirements and useful examples before the attempt. Ask what applies, then show what applies.
VValidationShow me what went wrong
Locate the problem and explain it specifically. Preserve the user’s work.
IInterventionHelp me fix it
Offer a route forward: request access, resume after sign-in, or continue safely with missing details.
VVisibilityTell the right people what changed
Match communication to importance. Distinguish sent, delivered, seen and acknowledged.
EEnd stateTell me how it ended
Show what succeeded, what failed, who acts next and whether the user needs to do anything.
Teaching. Code.
Creative machines.
I work in software engineering at Westpac and bring a background in vocational education and award-winning community radio to the way I build. Outside work, I’m exploring expressive robotics and animatronics.