alt Hacker NewsThe effect of the interface becoming "invisible" is actually a function of time spent in the interface. I think what the author is reacting to is discretionary friction; designers or product folks adding features or complexity. The thing is, that friction may be necessary in order to achieve a certain task (think about resolving a merge conflict). And given enough time in the interface, even those "disruptive" steps fade into the background.
To give a concrete example, the console of a 737 is incredibly dense with controls. The airplane itself has many different modes, and there are many moments of intentional friction.
However, if you interview a pilot with 10+ years in a 737, they will tell you the interface has become invisible.
The same goes for the supposedly "bad" Bloomberg terminal. You'll find the same thing in Healthcare, where an interface cluttered with buttons is exactly the right solution for someone who spends 8+ hours/day in a MR scanning software and wants instant access to all the controls.
As programmers, I think we're too quick to generalize our own experience and preferences and try to apply them to others.
Source: I spent 10 years designing consumer and professional software at IDEO
> … discretionary friction; designers or product folks adding features or complexity.
This is far more precise. The article talks about this from the users side, how there is a class of user who enjoys learning all of these “extra” features, even though they ultimately provide less value than the core features.
>> If people find vim, emacs, or whatever genuinely good and productive, I’m not going to criticize them for using it. People are most comfortable with what they know. But for the people I am discussing, that same familiarity blinds them to their tools’ flaws, and leads them to celebrate those flaws, flaunting them as games.