5 ms·
The dumbing down has other reasons, mainly mobile ones. It's sad to see.
by gsich 4y ago
The dumbing down has other reasons, mainly mobile ones. It's sad to see.
- retrocryptid 4y agoFwiw, there's a pretty decent discussion of the "expert/trained" interface vs the "beginner" interface in Theirry Bardini's book about Douglas Engelbart. Engelbart assumed people wanted an interface for "trained experts" -- the idea being computer applications were important enough for people to invest time in learning new concepts to make their work more efficient. Larry Tessler and others argued you should present a beginner's interface based on existing metaphor. Larry eventually went on to work at PARC and Apple where his work inspired (and frustrated) generations of computer users. Boarding noted that Tessler (and others in PARC) needed a raision d'etre inside the Xerox organization and partially used "building document handling systems for secretaries" to justify their budget. Kay was well known at the time for wanting to use computers in education, so it's no wonder the interface Jobs saw at PARC was one tweaked for beginners.
- DrewADesign 4y agoInteresting anecdote, but a vast oversimplification of beginner and expert needs that was formed in the infancy of computer interfaces.