logoalt Hacker News

unsungNoveltylast Monday at 1:26 PM1 replyview on HN

This is not true. Just today for example, in android at least, I went to whatsapp, selected a chat with long tap, I want to archive the chat. I have a download like button. Apparently that is the archive button. I had no idea.

If it was the opening to the alternate dimension, I wouldn't still know. If it was something harmful like backup and delete, I wouldnt know. I just took the plunge and hoped it wasn't gonna be harmful. Luckily it was archive.

These kind of stupid things are there now in their calling screen and other places. Absolutely ridiculous and hard for me. Now imagine my parents who are 60+!!


Replies

tgvlast Tuesday at 8:04 AM

Easier has more than one dimension (speed, error rate, recall, precision, cognitive load), but the baseline for generic statements is not one particular, very rare task. That's anecdote.

And in this case, the statement was about recognition, not intuition. Otherwise there are counter arguments: there are enough words in UIs which do not have an intuitive meaning either. "New" would be one. New what? File and folder are others, especially with decreasing awareness of the file system under young generations.

I'd say that you recognized the button fast enough, but the wrong function was attached to it. It's as if they would have had a menu item called "Download" which would archive.

> Now imagine my parents who are 60+!!

I can, because I am too.