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> Users don't want complexity, but they do want flexibility I think Alan Kay said it best: Simple things should be simple and complex things should be possible

> Users don't want complexity, but they do want flexibility I think Alan Kay said it best: Simple things should be simple and complex things should be possible. Excel is an example of software not meant for programmers that exemplifies this principle. Doing simple things in a spread sheet is simple, it doesn't take more than a few minutes to learn how to sum up some columns and manage a simple budget in a spreadsheet, but there is still a lot of room for power users to stretch their muscles. (Whether or not some excel power users would be better off hiring a programmer is another matter, but excel has doubtlessly empowered millions of non-programmers regardless.)

deleted 6y ago
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WWLink 6y ago
Yep, and pandering to the lowest common denominator means that complex things are probably impossible. Making a complex thing simple is the goal we should strive for. Edit: I forgot where I was going. Here it is: I don't understand why HAVING TO LEARN HOW TO USE A PROGRAM is such a terrible thing. I remember when there were books for things like Lotus 1-2-3. People learned. Besides, a blank GUI with 10 kinds of swipe gesture isn't exactly "user friendly" lol.
- oblio 6y ago
  > Edit: I forgot where I was going. Here it is: I don't understand why HAVING TO LEARN HOW TO USE A PROGRAM is such a terrible thing. I remember when there were books for things like Lotus 1-2-3. People learned. Lotus probably had 500k users and Excel probably has 500m.
- gmadsen 6y ago
  I think you should strive for what your customer base wants, if the lowest common denominator is 90% of users, then that should be priority
- bigbubba 6y ago
  I think the ideal is when programs are accessible to novices but at the same time provide instruction to those who care to pay attention and hone their skills. For instance, in Excel, when a user uses their mouse to highlight some cells and create a formula, the formula they created with their mouse is shown in the formula entry form, demonstrating to the user how they might have accomplished the same using their keyboard. This introduces users to 'power user' workflows or tools, while not imposing complexity on the users who aren't interested in learning [at that moment.] Meanwhile, it's not clear to me how a novice is meant to figure out 'three-finger-swipe-to-undo' on iOS but apparently iOS is the poster-child for intuitive friendly design...

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

WWLink 6y ago

Yep, and pandering to the lowest common denominator means that complex things are probably impossible. Making a complex thing simple is the goal we should strive for. Edit: I forgot where I was going. Here it is: I don't understand why HAVING TO LEARN HOW TO USE A PROGRAM is such a terrible thing. I remember when there were books for things like Lotus 1-2-3. People learned. Besides, a blank GUI with 10 kinds of swipe gesture isn't exactly "user friendly" lol.

oblio 6y ago
> Edit: I forgot where I was going. Here it is: I don't understand why HAVING TO LEARN HOW TO USE A PROGRAM is such a terrible thing. I remember when there were books for things like Lotus 1-2-3. People learned. Lotus probably had 500k users and Excel probably has 500m.
gmadsen 6y ago
I think you should strive for what your customer base wants, if the lowest common denominator is 90% of users, then that should be priority
bigbubba 6y ago
I think the ideal is when programs are accessible to novices but at the same time provide instruction to those who care to pay attention and hone their skills. For instance, in Excel, when a user uses their mouse to highlight some cells and create a formula, the formula they created with their mouse is shown in the formula entry form, demonstrating to the user how they might have accomplished the same using their keyboard. This introduces users to 'power user' workflows or tools, while not imposing complexity on the users who aren't interested in learning [at that moment.] Meanwhile, it's not clear to me how a novice is meant to figure out 'three-finger-swipe-to-undo' on iOS but apparently iOS is the poster-child for intuitive friendly design...