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There is an ongoing trend of equating "simplicity/removing distractions" with "hiding or removing information/making it less useful". Make something as simple
by xenadu02 10y ago
There is an ongoing trend of equating "simplicity/removing distractions" with "hiding or removing information/making it less useful".
Make something as simple as it needs to be, but no simpler. Most designers I see these days seem to forget that last bit.
In this specific example the whole purpose of the request system is to vote and secondarily get other people to vote with you. The new design eliminated almost everything that made the old one useful. It isn't simpler, it's simplistic.
- stcredzero 10y agoMake something as simple as it needs to be, but no simpler. Most designers I see these days seem to forget that last bit. People are copying the pointless "elegant simplicity" signalling of the new Apple Macbook. I think this is probably one of the best filters you can find, if you are perceptive enough to be able to use it: See whether or not someone prioritizes signalling over actual functionality/semantic content/logic. Observe how often this happens. Compare the effort that goes into signalling versus more substantive observation and analysis. If someone isn't self aware of their signalling, and hasn't differentiated that concept from actual value/competence, quietly disengage.
- lurkinggrue 10y agoThe wasted space thing drives me crazy. I tried the new beta for Evernote and it was mostly empty space that the text can't be in. Please, let me have some interface "distracton" please. My reaction was Nope, roll back to the previous version.
- a-nikolaev 10y agoI may be wrong, but I think that this site's UI is far from simple. It looks clean, but that's different thing. The new interface feels very unconventional, in fact. It may become convenient once you've learned what everything means, but until then you'd feel puzzled. ~~ Of course, I could not try to work with the old site, but the old screenshots looked more informative than the new ones. Not surprised at all by the results.
- jandrese 10y agoWhat's complicated about it? Click on an article to read the article. Click on the comments link to read the comments. Click on reply to reply. It's hard to imagine something simpler. HN even maintains a good information density.
- a-nikolaev 10y agoI were talking not about HN, obviously.