Tolerance is what?

Tolerance has many meanings, one of which is the allowance of variation of a part.

Tolerance as an engineering term refers to when the parts of a car are made to a low tolerance, and this means that they fit together and sync perfectly. A modern Lexus is a better car than a 1976 Nova because relentless improvement means that the parts are more exact, more tolerant.

Tolerance as a design term refers to when a system can tolerate non-perfect users and interventions, the interoperability increases and so a high tolerance design is often seen as more successful. You do not need to be a skilled nor perfect user in order to be successful.

Tolerance as a systems term refers to when we build a community that can thrive when everything isn’t exactly the same, the community is more likely to produce connection, health and well being. We embrace the non-sameness and it builds strength.

Tolerance as a personal-interaction term refers to situations when perhaps our dealings with someone don’t go well, and we are still able to recover and even produce useful work or play together, especially if our tolerance for frustration is high.

Tolerance as a disability term refers to when a user brings different skills, languages, boundaries and skills to a system, a tolerant solution allows them to thrive.

And tolerance as a climate term refers to when the built world becomes more resilient, it not only survives the unexpected, it doesn’t make things worse.

Low tolerance manufacturing takes dedication and skill. And it permits us to be high tolerance in the rest of our processes. An organization that tries to limit incoming participation and has rigid rules probably doesn’t trust the tolerance of their underlying stack.

It’s interesting to put all this together and think about Lego blocks. Yes, Lego blocks.

For generations, Lego pieces have been made to low tolerances. They stick together and come apart with precision. This allows them to work extremely well with any other part the company has ever made. And because of their long-lasting simplicity, they can be used in ways the creators of the toy didn’t expect… to furnish an aquarium or to build life-sized sculptures, for example.

People aren’t toys, and the variations we deal with are a bit harder to predict. And changing systems and climate are less predictable than most toddlers, so there are surprising variations there as well. So tolerance is a boon.

The thing is, tolerance is achievable. And tolerance creates value. But it helps to name it, measure it and seek it out.