4 ms·

The problem is modern attempts to birfurcate UX into silos of efficiency-agnostic design art + implementation-only engineering. If you call designers artists,

by ethbr0 4y ago

The problem is modern attempts to birfurcate UX into silos of efficiency-agnostic design art + implementation-only engineering. If you call designers artists, remove objective KPIs, and give them free reign, you get one-button mice. Similarly, if you let engineers build something, you end up with git's cli. In contrast, design and use been studied as a unified discipline since the early 1900s: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_and_motion_study https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_and_motion_study Taking decades to reinvent a preexisting organizational wheel is why "Humble" should be a corporate value in every company: learn from the past. I drive a 2015 Hyundai Genesis. Why? Because I test drove recent Infinities and Mercedes (and I can't stand Lexus' grill). Knobs with tactile bumps work. > Social network VK offered music playing, but over the last 5-6 years the number of taps it takes to start playing grew from 3 to 6 or 8 if you need a particular playlist (Cue MySpace laughing in the corner, smugly rocking zero-touch autoplay since the early-00s)

tomrod 4y ago
> If you call designers artists, remove objective KPIs, and give them free reign, you get one-button mice. Similarly, if you let engineers build something, you end up with git's cli. Am I in the wrong to think both of these are plenty functional to the point I like them? A one button mouse functions a lot like a touchbad when you factor in meta keys (at least to my memory -- I've only ever used one in conjunction with schooling years due to low-Apple footprint). And having learned git cli recently, it seems to make sense to me. But I agree generally -- silo boundaries can lead to poor results due to ignoring second order effects and holistic user experience (your users aren't siloed).
- ethbr0 4y ago
  Regarding the optimal number of buttons on mice, I'd respectfully observe that the average number of human fingers on a hand is 5. And as for git cli, I have no problem with it (conceptually or practically), but I also accept that most people aren't us. It's moderately difficult to build something that's perfect for yourself: it's much harder to build something that's optimal for everyone not-you.
- culebron21 4y ago
  I used Mercurial CLI in 2010-2016, before finally having to completely switch to git. I almost never had to memorize or look hg commands up. In Git, I routinely need to google that same answer on SO for flags. I do understand that it's the real inner machinery, and back in 2009 I did read how git works, but still cli is hard to remember.
  - twic 4y ago
    In some ways, the Git CLI is easier: whatever you're trying to do, the command you need is always "checkout".

by ethbr0 4y ago

tomrod 4y ago

> If you call designers artists, remove objective KPIs, and give them free reign, you get one-button mice. Similarly, if you let engineers build something, you end up with git's cli. Am I in the wrong to think both of these are plenty functional to the point I like them? A one button mouse functions a lot like a touchbad when you factor in meta keys (at least to my memory -- I've only ever used one in conjunction with schooling years due to low-Apple footprint). And having learned git cli recently, it seems to make sense to me. But I agree generally -- silo boundaries can lead to poor results due to ignoring second order effects and holistic user experience (your users aren't siloed).

ethbr0 4y ago
Regarding the optimal number of buttons on mice, I'd respectfully observe that the average number of human fingers on a hand is 5. And as for git cli, I have no problem with it (conceptually or practically), but I also accept that most people aren't us. It's moderately difficult to build something that's perfect for yourself: it's much harder to build something that's optimal for everyone not-you.
culebron21 4y ago
I used Mercurial CLI in 2010-2016, before finally having to completely switch to git. I almost never had to memorize or look hg commands up. In Git, I routinely need to google that same answer on SO for flags. I do understand that it's the real inner machinery, and back in 2009 I did read how git works, but still cli is hard to remember.
- twic 4y ago
  In some ways, the Git CLI is easier: whatever you're trying to do, the command you need is always "checkout".