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I would argue that the best designs are the ones that require the fewest alterations over time. Wikipedia, craigslist, HN, StackOverflow, Indeed, GitHub/GitLab

by wanda 4y ago

I would argue that the best designs are the ones that require the fewest alterations over time. Wikipedia, craigslist, HN, StackOverflow, Indeed, GitHub/GitLab, etc. arguably all fairly consistent while many other e-commerce sites, forums, social networks, job sites and so on have been all over the place and still hideous now. Yes, they've all had tweaks over the years but none have taken dramatic shifts or bent towards "trending UI paradigms" like "flat" or "brut" which frankly I've always found rather unnecessary on any website that requires you to interact with it. The sites I listed above are all ones I enjoy using because there's no BS in my way, it's just efficient and quiet. Well, I don't use craigslist — but if I needed to buy a VHS player, or wanted to find a cash-in-hand gig performing in an adult film, it would be my first port of call.* Personal portfolio? Sure, design the shit out of it. Random blog or publication? Yeah go for it as long as the content is clear and consumable. Forum? Shop/e-commerce? CMS/CRUD? Actual web app? Data tools? Anything that actually has to be used? Make it plain and bland, but make it work and work fast. * Do not do this.

hn_ltl-ftc 4y ago
I'm going to have to say that I'm generally, but only _partially_ in agreement with your list of examples. When talking about "best designs", I would definitely (but respectfully) disagree with the inclusion of StackOverflow, and GitHub. Specifically: StackOverflow Issues: mind-boggling bad layout (poor visual hierarchy, no clear organizing principle); inconsistent typography; too many fonts; weak affordances for useful functionality (filtering/sorting replies); hard to tell obsolete or ancient replies from newer ones GitHub Issues: quasi-random screen layout; hard-to-discover functionality; mystery-meat navigation; low-level behavior/affordance inconsistencies. (Editorial aside: this looks like the side-effect--or result(!), of a slavish application of an agile feature development model to the UI design of an application.)
elxr 4y ago
I love the craigslist UI. So simple and traditional, most 80 year olds can use it.

by wanda 4y ago

hn_ltl-ftc 4y ago

I'm going to have to say that I'm generally, but only _partially_ in agreement with your list of examples. When talking about "best designs", I would definitely (but respectfully) disagree with the inclusion of StackOverflow, and GitHub. Specifically: StackOverflow Issues: mind-boggling bad layout (poor visual hierarchy, no clear organizing principle); inconsistent typography; too many fonts; weak affordances for useful functionality (filtering/sorting replies); hard to tell obsolete or ancient replies from newer ones GitHub Issues: quasi-random screen layout; hard-to-discover functionality; mystery-meat navigation; low-level behavior/affordance inconsistencies. (Editorial aside: this looks like the side-effect--or result(!), of a slavish application of an agile feature development model to the UI design of an application.)

elxr 4y ago

I love the craigslist UI. So simple and traditional, most 80 year olds can use it.