4 ms·

I think the article overlooks that it is not really an accident that apps and operating systems are hiding all their user interface affordances. It's an antipat

by zmmmmm 1y ago

I think the article overlooks that it is not really an accident that apps and operating systems are hiding all their user interface affordances. It's an antipattern to create lock in, and it tends to occur once a piece of software has reached what they consider saturation point in terms of growth where keeping existing users in is more important than attracting new ones. It so turns out that the vast majority of software we use is created by companies in exactly that position - Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta etc. It might seem counter intuitive that hiding your interface stops your users leaving. But it does it because it changes your basis of assumptions about what a device is and your relationship with it. It's not something you "use", but something you "know". They want you to feel inherently linked to it at an intuitive level such that leaving their ecosystem is like losing a part of yourself. Once you've been through the experience of discovering "wow, you have to swipe up from a corner in a totally unpredictable way to do an essential task on a phone", and you build into your world of assumptions that this is how phones are, the thought of moving to a new type of phone and learning all that again is terrifying. It's no surprise at all that all the major software vendors are doing this.

BLKNSLVR 1y ago
It's a double edged sword though in that it can discourage users from trying their interface. Apple's interface shits me because it's all from that one button, and I can never remember how to get to settings because I use that interface so infrequently, so Android feels more natural. Ie. Android has done it's lock-in job, but Apple has done itself a disservice. (Not entirely fair, I also dislike Apple for all the other same old argument reasons).
- copperx 1y ago
  Which button do you mean?
  - BLKNSLVR 1y ago
    Yeah, that's how old my Apple knowledge is. Another comment elsewhere on this page informed me that the universal button no longer exists.
    - wpm 1y ago
      The home button's death was the end of the reality and the beginning of the myth that iOS is easy to use. The home button was an important lifeline. It did one thing if you pressed it once. No matter what, it took you home. For my older relatives, that one button made using iOS incredibly easy and safe feeling. No matter what, no matter where you ended up, just hit the home button. There, back to start. Easy peasy. Now with everything hidden behind stupid gestures that even I don't fully understand, my parents struggle to not inundate their iPads with extra windows and split window "Windows" that show up in the app switcher. My mom has had a none home-button iPhone for years and still can't get the home screen gesture right most of the time, and she hates it. I had to scramble to buy up old 9th gen iPads for them and my grandmother once it was discontinued.
      - fingerlocks 1y ago
        Did you know that the home button still exists in virtual form? It can be enabled in the accessibility menu
userbinator 1y ago
I see nonprofit OSS projects doing it too, and wonder if they're just trendchasing without thinking. Firefox's aggravating redesigns fall under this category, as does Gnome and the like.
eddythompson80 1y ago
I think you picked a hypothesis and assumed it was true and ran with it. Consider that all the following are true (despite their contradictions): - "Bloated busy interface" is a common complaint of some of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta. people here share a blank vscode canvas and complain about how busy the interface is compared to their 0-interface vim setup. - flat design and minimalism are/were in fashion (have been for few years now). - /r/unixporn and most linux people online who "rice" their linux distros do so by hiding all controls from apps because minimalism is in fashion - Have you tried GNOME recently? Minimal interface where most controls are hidden is a certain look that some people prefer. Plenty of people prefer to "hide the noise" and if they need something, they are perfectly capable to look it up. It's not like digging in manuals is the only option
- thaumasiotes 1y ago
  > Have you tried GNOME recently? God, no. I switched to xfce when GNOME decided that they needed to compete with Unity by copying whatever it did, no matter how loudly their entire user base complained. Why would I try GNOME again?
  - leakycap 1y ago
    > Why would I try GNOME again? It is widely used, the default DE in many installs, and it can be handy to be familiar with, for starters.
- jterrys 1y ago
  UIs tend to have a universality with how people structure their environments. Minimalism is super hot outside of software design too. Millennial Gray is a cliche for a reason. Frutiger Aero wasn't just limited to technology. JLo's debut single is pretty cool about this aesthetic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYfkl-HXfuU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYfkl-HXfuU
- joe_the_user 1y ago
  I think you picked a hypothesis and assumed it was true and ran with it. The tone of your post and especially this phrase is inappropriate imo. The GP's comment is plausible. You're welcome to make a counter-argument but you seem to be claiming without evidence their was no thinking behind their post.
BrtByte 1y ago
Turning learned friction into a form of psychological lock-in is a dark UX pattern if there ever was one

by zmmmmm 1y ago

BLKNSLVR 1y ago

It's a double edged sword though in that it can discourage users from trying their interface. Apple's interface shits me because it's all from that one button, and I can never remember how to get to settings because I use that interface so infrequently, so Android feels more natural. Ie. Android has done it's lock-in job, but Apple has done itself a disservice. (Not entirely fair, I also dislike Apple for all the other same old argument reasons).

copperx 1y ago
Which button do you mean?
- BLKNSLVR 1y ago
  Yeah, that's how old my Apple knowledge is. Another comment elsewhere on this page informed me that the universal button no longer exists.
  - wpm 1y ago
    The home button's death was the end of the reality and the beginning of the myth that iOS is easy to use. The home button was an important lifeline. It did one thing if you pressed it once. No matter what, it took you home. For my older relatives, that one button made using iOS incredibly easy and safe feeling. No matter what, no matter where you ended up, just hit the home button. There, back to start. Easy peasy. Now with everything hidden behind stupid gestures that even I don't fully understand, my parents struggle to not inundate their iPads with extra windows and split window "Windows" that show up in the app switcher. My mom has had a none home-button iPhone for years and still can't get the home screen gesture right most of the time, and she hates it. I had to scramble to buy up old 9th gen iPads for them and my grandmother once it was discontinued.
    - fingerlocks 1y ago
      Did you know that the home button still exists in virtual form? It can be enabled in the accessibility menu

userbinator 1y ago

I see nonprofit OSS projects doing it too, and wonder if they're just trendchasing without thinking. Firefox's aggravating redesigns fall under this category, as does Gnome and the like.

eddythompson80 1y ago

I think you picked a hypothesis and assumed it was true and ran with it. Consider that all the following are true (despite their contradictions): - "Bloated busy interface" is a common complaint of some of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta. people here share a blank vscode canvas and complain about how busy the interface is compared to their 0-interface vim setup. - flat design and minimalism are/were in fashion (have been for few years now). - /r/unixporn and most linux people online who "rice" their linux distros do so by hiding all controls from apps because minimalism is in fashion - Have you tried GNOME recently? Minimal interface where most controls are hidden is a certain look that some people prefer. Plenty of people prefer to "hide the noise" and if they need something, they are perfectly capable to look it up. It's not like digging in manuals is the only option

thaumasiotes 1y ago
> Have you tried GNOME recently? God, no. I switched to xfce when GNOME decided that they needed to compete with Unity by copying whatever it did, no matter how loudly their entire user base complained. Why would I try GNOME again?
- leakycap 1y ago
  > Why would I try GNOME again? It is widely used, the default DE in many installs, and it can be handy to be familiar with, for starters.
jterrys 1y ago
UIs tend to have a universality with how people structure their environments. Minimalism is super hot outside of software design too. Millennial Gray is a cliche for a reason. Frutiger Aero wasn't just limited to technology. JLo's debut single is pretty cool about this aesthetic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYfkl-HXfuU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYfkl-HXfuU
joe_the_user 1y ago
I think you picked a hypothesis and assumed it was true and ran with it. The tone of your post and especially this phrase is inappropriate imo. The GP's comment is plausible. You're welcome to make a counter-argument but you seem to be claiming without evidence their was no thinking behind their post.

BrtByte 1y ago

Turning learned friction into a form of psychological lock-in is a dark UX pattern if there ever was one