Nostr Web Client

The allure of "clean" design is just an expression of the desire to not think, not be responsible and just be guided by an external powerful force. Just copy what Instagram is doing and let Mark Zuckerberg and the pedophiles guide you, feed you the right content, and then you just lie in your bed with your phone in hands, clicking the single button, in the cleanest possible interface, very easy for the normies and for me and you, the apex of UX and human civilization.

Leo Fernevak 2y ago

I think you are critiquing sterile design, and I agree with that.

A clean design is not necessarily a sterile design and can look quite different depending on the vision.

Clean design to me is a balanced design, not too cluttered. Some menus need to be complex and have an array of important options available. That structure should consider usability first, then design.

1. Usability

2. Visual design, without sacrificing 1.

With usability I'm referring to fast and easy workflows where users are not running a tough obstacle course. There should be a general attitude of sympathy for users that interact with the UI a lot.

Visual design can go wild as long as the usability is good. Clean visual design involves un my view for example adhering to a chosen thematic style. Mixing styles can quickly feel unbalanced.

Reply to this note

Please Login to reply.

Discussion

fiatjaf 2y ago

Sounds reasonable, but do you think this grand theory of design has any utility? In the end design is just a gut feeling, no?

Leo Fernevak 2y ago

Yes, it kinda boils down to gut feeling.

Also it depends what something is used for. A menu in a workplace or a game needs to be efficient due to its high usage. Thin scroll lists can be hell for players using a mouse on screen, while it may work ok on a tablet or phone.

Then, scrolling is dependent on the number of items to scroll through. It works great for quick scrolls but if the list is long enough, it is no longer efficient. That which is not efficient will be skipped. So there is a scroll horizon at some point, past which few will thread.😄

Just my ramblings.

Gut feeling works fine too.

daniele 2y ago

I agree.

Permit me expand the list of priorities:

1 Accessibility

2 Usability

3 Effectiveness

4 Visual appealing

The rule is simple: each point must add value to the previous one, without sacrificing anything.

There are slight exceptions, related to some contexts/targets, of course. For example sometimes point #4 affects the pleasure of using a product, and thus the effectiveness of user actions.

Leo Fernevak 2y ago

Good overview.

Yes, accessibility would mean that the user is not prevented from accessing what they should be able to access. This would overlap with general bug fixing and problem solving for the base functionality.

Agreed that usability comes before effectiveness. Effectiveness involves among other things switching between menus and engaging in a work flow.

Visual design: make it appealing and easy to interpret from a user perspective, assuming varying degrees of familiarity with what is happening under the hood.