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Ask HN: Why do digital interfaces age poorly?
5 points by dna_polymerase on April 7, 2023 | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments
I recently watched a video about a Bugatti super sports car. The interior of their cars lack any of the modern touch-screens and displays (Example: [0]). This was explained with them aging poorly.

Thinking about my own tech use, I somehow have to agree, that using older OSes or old touch screen devices (e.g., iPod Touch) feels like going back into the Stone Age. I can't really explain why.

I know that interface design and UX/UI is a broad field and there is certainly a lot of scientific work done, however as an outsider, I don't know where to start looking. So, my question: Is this a real effect more people perceive? Is there any research on the topic?

[0]: https://www.thespeedjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/bugatti-chiron-interior-6.jpg



I think digital interfaces tend to age poorly for the same reason that many other styles tend to age poorly -- they are mostly chasing fads rather than focusing on what's actually the most usable design.

The tendency is understandable. A truly excellent, timeless UI is also a boring UI.

I also think that replacing physical controls in cars with touch screens is a fundamentally broken idea from the start. The reason we're seeing it so much comes down to cost minimization, not user experience.


I don't think digital interfaces age poorly -- I think bad interfaces age poorly.

And I think there are more bad digital interfaces because most appliances/objects have been made in the digital age.

Video games might be a good case study here. Some game interfaces age really poorly, while others don't seem out of place at all.

As far as digital/analog hybrids are concerned, take a look at synthesizers. One can hardly discern modern Casios from their 1980s ancestors.




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