I know. I think many designers are too willing to reduce usability for the sake of appearance.
They have fast computers and good eyesight and expensive screens and consistent ambient light and they end up making software that runs slowly and is hard to read in normal (very varied) conditions.
I recently upgraded my iPhone 5 from iOS 6 to 7.0.6 specifically because of the recently-exposed SSL bug and the first thing I did was go to Settings -> General -> Accessibility and changed half the viewing settings: "bold" (non-anorexic) text, "increased" (non-reduced) contrast, and reduced animation.
I actually have rather good eyesight with my glasses on. I just don't want to expend any physical effort when reading in sub-optimal (non-Apple-Store) lighting conditions. I'm always looking at screens and I don't want to strain my eyes.
Now look what you've done: You've got me ranting! But I rather like the way my iPhone looks now. Parts of iOS 7 are still glaringly unrefined but other parts are much better than 6 ever was, and I look forwards to the iterative improvements that Apple is so good at.
"I actually have rather good eyesight with my glasses on. I just don't want to expend any physical effort when reading in sub-optimal lighting conditions. I'm always looking at screens and I don't want to strain my eyes."
Exactly, well said.
Beautiful design and good usability are not only very different, they are virtually opposed! And the first has to be sub-ordinate to the latter. Which is tough when you're trying to impress customers and show off your hard-learned skills. Jakob Nielsen's Usability site makes a point by being 99.5% pure text! http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/
A designer who can't learn this subordination should realize he may be an artist and make art, where no silly usability questions get in the way.
It took me a while to find them but they are still there. On the search results page, click the little triangle next to an item.
ReplyDeleteFantastic, thanks. I had totally overlooked that little thing.
ReplyDeleteSigh, designers... for example, the design of the iOS seven (iPhone/iPad) takes the concepts of "thin fonts" and "low contrast" to new depths.
I know. I think many designers are too willing to reduce usability for the sake of appearance.
ReplyDeleteThey have fast computers and good eyesight and expensive screens and consistent ambient light and they end up making software that runs slowly and is hard to read in normal (very varied) conditions.
I recently upgraded my iPhone 5 from iOS 6 to 7.0.6 specifically because of the recently-exposed SSL bug and the first thing I did was go to Settings -> General -> Accessibility and changed half the viewing settings: "bold" (non-anorexic) text, "increased" (non-reduced) contrast, and reduced animation.
I actually have rather good eyesight with my glasses on. I just don't want to expend any physical effort when reading in sub-optimal (non-Apple-Store) lighting conditions. I'm always looking at screens and I don't want to strain my eyes.
Now look what you've done: You've got me ranting! But I rather like the way my iPhone looks now. Parts of iOS 7 are still glaringly unrefined but other parts are much better than 6 ever was, and I look forwards to the iterative improvements that Apple is so good at.
"I actually have rather good eyesight with my glasses on. I just don't want to expend any physical effort when reading in sub-optimal lighting conditions. I'm always looking at screens and I don't want to strain my eyes."
ReplyDeleteExactly, well said.
Beautiful design and good usability are not only very different, they are virtually opposed! And the first has to be sub-ordinate to the latter. Which is tough when you're trying to impress customers and show off your hard-learned skills.
Jakob Nielsen's Usability site makes a point by being 99.5% pure text!
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/
A designer who can't learn this subordination should realize he may be an artist and make art, where no silly usability questions get in the way.
If only they were opposites: then we could make technology easy to use just by making it ugly!
ReplyDelete💡
So that's how everyone on TV can program alien spaceship computers…