3 ms·

It's this and the lack of draggable (or command-clickable) icons that first made me wonder if I've reached an age (in my 30s) where I'm just not going be as "go

It's this and the lack of draggable (or command-clickable) icons that first made me wonder if I've reached an age (in my 30s) where I'm just not going be as "good at computers" as I was in my 20s. Upon reflection I'm not worried about it, but the NSDocument model (while a bit obtuse at first glance) offered good end usability. The little animation delays and inconsistencies are unfortunate in the light of what used to be readily available.

wpm 4y ago
You can turn the title bar document proxies back on in Accessibility > Display > Show window title icons.
LeoNatan25 4y ago
The issue isn’t people being “good at computers”, but computers getting worse at people. Minimalist design clowns and lazy developers have taken over, and user interfaces have become far less intuitive than they were 10-20 years ago. Couple that with added complexity, and you have a recipe for disaster. Apple is the worst example because they used to be a company that took pride in its user interface design.
projektfu 4y ago
I'm 44 and I feel like an old person now on the iPhone. I am constantly tricked into hitting "x" on a search bar instead of sending the action. I find myself typing phone numbers and things into the wrong app like a chat app. I am often staring with a befuddled expression at the screen because I don't know where to go immediately to do what I need to do. (Contacts is particularly bad for this). On the iPad I always end up with the stupid files overlay thing that is hard for me to get rid of. Usually I was just trying to scroll or drag. I thought iOS was supposed to be grandparent friendly! I can't tell how much of this is related to getting old and how much is just saved-up expectations from a more civilized time.
- _moof 4y ago
  42 and semi-seriously considering switching back to a computer from the 1990s and a flip phone. Not even memory protection is worth the crimes perpetrated by today's generation of designers.
  - ultrarunner 4y ago
    I recently went on a SheepShaver kick recreating a PowerMac 8600 and it was very enlightening. There are obvious significant usability features in modern macOS. But the simplicity, consistency, and feel were incredibly valuable. There's nothing like it anymore.
- bigDinosaur 4y ago
  I'm significantly younger than both of you and often encounter similar issues. A favourite of mine was triggering iPad multitasking/overlay windows randomly and having no idea how to get rid of it properly. Another favourite of mine is being afraid of the contacts app because I'm sure it's easy to make accidental calls by tapping a button that looks like it does something else. Perhaps I've just become paranoid.

wpm 4y ago

You can turn the title bar document proxies back on in Accessibility > Display > Show window title icons.

LeoNatan25 4y ago

The issue isn’t people being “good at computers”, but computers getting worse at people. Minimalist design clowns and lazy developers have taken over, and user interfaces have become far less intuitive than they were 10-20 years ago. Couple that with added complexity, and you have a recipe for disaster. Apple is the worst example because they used to be a company that took pride in its user interface design.

projektfu 4y ago

I'm 44 and I feel like an old person now on the iPhone. I am constantly tricked into hitting "x" on a search bar instead of sending the action. I find myself typing phone numbers and things into the wrong app like a chat app. I am often staring with a befuddled expression at the screen because I don't know where to go immediately to do what I need to do. (Contacts is particularly bad for this). On the iPad I always end up with the stupid files overlay thing that is hard for me to get rid of. Usually I was just trying to scroll or drag. I thought iOS was supposed to be grandparent friendly! I can't tell how much of this is related to getting old and how much is just saved-up expectations from a more civilized time.

_moof 4y ago
42 and semi-seriously considering switching back to a computer from the 1990s and a flip phone. Not even memory protection is worth the crimes perpetrated by today's generation of designers.
- ultrarunner 4y ago
  I recently went on a SheepShaver kick recreating a PowerMac 8600 and it was very enlightening. There are obvious significant usability features in modern macOS. But the simplicity, consistency, and feel were incredibly valuable. There's nothing like it anymore.
bigDinosaur 4y ago
I'm significantly younger than both of you and often encounter similar issues. A favourite of mine was triggering iPad multitasking/overlay windows randomly and having no idea how to get rid of it properly. Another favourite of mine is being afraid of the contacts app because I'm sure it's easy to make accidental calls by tapping a button that looks like it does something else. Perhaps I've just become paranoid.