4 ms·

>Google takes this even further: all of their UI decisions are made statistically. I like how the author scoffs at this as if it is self-evidently preposterous

>Google takes this even further: all of their UI decisions are made statistically. I like how the author scoffs at this as if it is self-evidently preposterous, yet Google is one company whose UI design elegance is consistently competitive with Apple's. I can't think of a single UI design choice in Safari that I prefer over how Chrome does it.

jfb 15y ago
Google's UI is competitive with Apple's in elegance? That's an interesting perspective; obviously, I don't agree.
- koeselitz 15y ago
  I think it's kind of silly to argue Google v. Apple on elegance, yeah. But to my eye, Chrome really is a lot more elegant than Safari. There are a billion things Chrome does to make browsing quicker for me, not just because of raw browser speed but because things are just so graceful, simple, and direct. Just being able to search within a URL by starting to type the URL and then hitting 'Tab' is golden to me, and saves me a huge amount of time every single day.
  - jfb 15y ago
    Yeah, it's subjective, and of course the way one works doesn't exist in the world of Platonic forms but is a function of the tools one uses. EDIT: So, therefore, it's very difficult to make claims across toolsets. I am an Apple/Emacs guy from back in the Stone Age, so what I think of as "elegant" is going to be very different than someone who has a different history. YMW truly V.
- mistercow 15y ago
  Well I should qualify that by saying that I mean the Apple of today vs. the Google of today. Apple's design has slipped considerably – just look at Lion, iTunes, more recent versions of Safari, or the latest UI for the Apple TV. But if we were talking about Apple ca. 2009, Apple would easily win in any contest of UI design.
  - jfb 15y ago
    Ah, I obviously took the good juju with me when I left.
bdunbar 15y ago
I like how the author scoffs at this as if it is self-evidently preposterous, Have you used gmail lately? The new UI is a mess.
- there 15y ago
  Android 4, too. I think their shift to using only icons everywhere (in Android and their websites) was terrible. I have no idea what most of the icons are supposed to do until I tap them, which is a terrible way of navigating an interface.
  - mistercow 15y ago
    >I have no idea what most of the icons are supposed to do until I tap them, which is a terrible way of navigating an interface. Is that such a terrible way for things to be though? To me, a well designed interface is one that invites you to play with it and learn its ins and outs, while making the experience memorable so that you'll find your way more easily in the future. It's best for the interface to be informative while doing this, but if you spray text all over everything, it does impede exploration.
- wlesieutre 15y ago
  They added a preference to get text in the buttons instead of the cryptic icons, which is a huge usability improvement. I still don't like it as much as the old gmail.
  - bdunbar 15y ago
    They added a preference to get text in the buttons I hadn't realized - thanks. It makes a difference. I still want the old look back.
- sb 15y ago
  In addition, I think they completely failed with the HD themes, too. Some of them have such a contrast difference that you cannot even read label captions anymore, i.e., the complete left part below the Inbox becomes essentially useless...

jfb 15y ago

Google's UI is competitive with Apple's in elegance? That's an interesting perspective; obviously, I don't agree.

koeselitz 15y ago
I think it's kind of silly to argue Google v. Apple on elegance, yeah. But to my eye, Chrome really is a lot more elegant than Safari. There are a billion things Chrome does to make browsing quicker for me, not just because of raw browser speed but because things are just so graceful, simple, and direct. Just being able to search within a URL by starting to type the URL and then hitting 'Tab' is golden to me, and saves me a huge amount of time every single day.
- jfb 15y ago
  Yeah, it's subjective, and of course the way one works doesn't exist in the world of Platonic forms but is a function of the tools one uses. EDIT: So, therefore, it's very difficult to make claims across toolsets. I am an Apple/Emacs guy from back in the Stone Age, so what I think of as "elegant" is going to be very different than someone who has a different history. YMW truly V.
mistercow 15y ago
Well I should qualify that by saying that I mean the Apple of today vs. the Google of today. Apple's design has slipped considerably – just look at Lion, iTunes, more recent versions of Safari, or the latest UI for the Apple TV. But if we were talking about Apple ca. 2009, Apple would easily win in any contest of UI design.
- jfb 15y ago
  Ah, I obviously took the good juju with me when I left.

bdunbar 15y ago

I like how the author scoffs at this as if it is self-evidently preposterous, Have you used gmail lately? The new UI is a mess.

there 15y ago
Android 4, too. I think their shift to using only icons everywhere (in Android and their websites) was terrible. I have no idea what most of the icons are supposed to do until I tap them, which is a terrible way of navigating an interface.
- mistercow 15y ago
  >I have no idea what most of the icons are supposed to do until I tap them, which is a terrible way of navigating an interface. Is that such a terrible way for things to be though? To me, a well designed interface is one that invites you to play with it and learn its ins and outs, while making the experience memorable so that you'll find your way more easily in the future. It's best for the interface to be informative while doing this, but if you spray text all over everything, it does impede exploration.
wlesieutre 15y ago
They added a preference to get text in the buttons instead of the cryptic icons, which is a huge usability improvement. I still don't like it as much as the old gmail.
- bdunbar 15y ago
  They added a preference to get text in the buttons I hadn't realized - thanks. It makes a difference. I still want the old look back.
sb 15y ago
In addition, I think they completely failed with the HD themes, too. Some of them have such a contrast difference that you cannot even read label captions anymore, i.e., the complete left part below the Inbox becomes essentially useless...