It's amazing how much anger/vitriol a small little modal can generate. It may amaze the designer, but it doesn't amaze me as a user. The fundamental principle

It's amazing how much anger/vitriol a small little modal can generate. It may amaze the designer, but it doesn't amaze me as a user. The fundamental principle of a "modal" is that it suddenly and unexpectedly robs the user of control over his experience. If that's not a cardinal sin of interface design, I don't know what is. We're often reminded that good design creates "delight"; that also means bad design can create delight's opposite - pain and frustration.