There are two things computers do that make me feel like I'm fighting them instead of using them: hover-triggered junk that explodes under my cursor, and apps that steal focus the moment they wake up.
Hover hijinks
In Outlook, when I move my mouse up to click the other tab to switch from Focused to Other, I'll sometimes overshoot and skim across the New button. That split-second hover opens a dropdown to create three different things. I'm moving fast, so I pull my mouse back down to hit the thing I meant to click—except now the menu has appeared, and I end up creating a new calendar event. It's the UI equivalent of a rake on the lawn.
Slack does a version of this too. When I try to quickly click someone's name in the sidebar and shoot past it, I'll accidentally hover one of the icons (like DMs). Slack opens a big panel full of stuff right where I'm about to click, and I land on that instead of the person. I didn't ask for the panel. I didn't even pause—I just grazed the hitbox.
Hover should be a hint, not a command. It should be an indication that interacting with this element is possible, and the context can dictate whether that's a click or something else. Don't change layouts, open panels, or spawn menus on hover—ever. Save UI changes for explicit actions like click, tap, or pressing Enter.
Focus stealing
Focus theft is the same problem in a different outfit. I'll use Alfred to open a bunch of apps in the morning, or I'll start something heavyweight like Microsoft Teams that takes several seconds to wake up. I return to what I was doing—and then windows begin popping to the front one by one, yanking my input as they finish launching. I tab away, click away, and some other startup window steals it again. The whole time, my intention is clear: let me keep working while you load.
I'd love to try an operating system mode that disables focus stealing entirely. What breaks? Maybe some permission prompts or password dialogs need a different affordance. Fine—show a non-modal banner, bounce the icon, or flash the title bar. Reserve true focus grabs for critical prompts or when I deliberately bring that window forward—not just because an app finished launching.
The common thread
Both of these are interruptions that assume I want help. Most of the time I don't—I want the computer to stay out of my way. If I could change one thing, it would be this: favor intent over eagerness. Don't explode the UI because my pointer glanced your way, and don't shove a window in front of me because you're excited to say hello.
Make it easy to ask for things. Make it hard to get in the way.