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don't "design" user interfaces, visualize data structures and iterate to make it intuitive based on usage patterns.


Underrated comment; way too many designers still approach software design as a visual exercise similar to designing a static composition that looks beautiful in marketing materials; but software is all about data structures and what operations people are going to want to do on them.

So much software these days doesn’t let me do things like “do Z on all Xs matching Y”, instead forcing me to repeat the same slow sequence of actions over and over (swipe, tap button; wait for animation to finish. Go back, swipe, tap button; wait for animation to finish. Go back, swipe, …)


I also think "good-looking" user interface is of lesser priority than "good-functioning" UI. Form follows function. I'd much rather have boring or primitively designed UI that works well and intuitively - meaning, I can find the functions I need when I need it - than a beautiful or modern/trendy interface that I have to struggle with to get work done.

So much of modern UI seems to be created by people whose focus is on "looking good" and less about actually using it daily. For example, YouTube has awkward details that make certain common actions painful, or even impossible. Like a modal window that covers up part of the screen where selection is being made, and it can't be moved or closed without losing all selections. Whoever designed it clearly had not used it enough (or at all) because it's impractical and infuriating as a user. I don't care how good it looks if I can't get it to do what I need.




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