This software is so obscenely powerful that UX is irrelevant. If you want that power, you are going to learn how to use it. We’re too busy making the software powerful to waste time making it accessible to people who can’t be bothered expending the effort.
This is especially relevant in open-source. It’s free software bro. Pick two ONLY: Free, Easy, Powerful
Counterpoint: Blender, once they stopped trying to dismiss critique of its formerly godawful UX as a “skill issue”. I even saw Blender users looking into alternatives the moment Blender wasn’t awful to use, because they no longer could be special little snowflakes for using a piece of software, as “normies” started to “invade” their community.
UX only people who are willing to read the manual understand*
i learned pretty much everything about the vast majority of tools i use on a daily basis literally just by reading the manual. i know that attention span, and well, literacy are both high bars but if I can do it you can too.
If it’s a terminal application, the UI is essentially the same for every program. and it’s a UI i’m comfortable with and enjoy using. GUI apps though, I honestly hate 90% of the time. Almost every graphical application is utter dogshit. So we agree… kinda?
I really dislike this sentiment in this context. This sentiment is about applications made for people who barely use computers. It’s for like… iPhone apps to order food. This sentiment is just incorrect when it comes to technical tools made for professionals.
Apply this to like any other profession and it makes it obvious how nonsense it is.
If you need a manual to disassemble this engine, it’s a terrible engine.
If you need a manual to pilot this helicopter, it’s a terrible helicopter.
If you need a manual to operate this electron microscope, it’s a terrible electron microscope.
I see where you’re coming from, but I’ve encountered many things in professional applications where the UX baffles me. I know what I’m trying to get the program to do but it seems to require me to keep notes as to how to achieve the thing. Menu entries with needlessly cryptic names, heavily nested functionality, that sort of thing.
While I believe everything I’ve said I also believe that 90% of graphical applications are dogshit and 99% of closed source software is dogshit and I don’t think these things can change due to conflict of interest. I very strictly use only open source software in my workflow and because of this, when I have a problem with the tools I just fix them myself.
Even if I had that luxury, I really don’t want to spend my time fixing someone else’s UI. I have my own projects to work on.
I used to do a lot of user testing and I think it’s something every bit of software needs. I really admire projects that decide to do big pushes on usability and papercuts.
I don’t think this is right. It’s more like:
This is especially relevant in open-source. It’s free software bro. Pick two ONLY: Free, Easy, Powerful
Counterpoint: Blender, once they stopped trying to dismiss critique of its formerly godawful UX as a “skill issue”. I even saw Blender users looking into alternatives the moment Blender wasn’t awful to use, because they no longer could be special little snowflakes for using a piece of software, as “normies” started to “invade” their community.
blender is obviously an exception, they have the resources to do it. the vast majority of projects this post is about do not.
if people want to feel special for using difficult software, that’s dumb, but that’s not why the software is difficult.
“the exception proves the rule” and so on
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UX only people who are willing to read the manual understand*
i learned pretty much everything about the vast majority of tools i use on a daily basis literally just by reading the manual. i know that attention span, and well, literacy are both high bars but if I can do it you can too.
It’s entirely possible to know how to use a program and still think its UI is dogshit.
If it’s a terminal application, the UI is essentially the same for every program. and it’s a UI i’m comfortable with and enjoy using. GUI apps though, I honestly hate 90% of the time. Almost every graphical application is utter dogshit. So we agree… kinda?
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I really dislike this sentiment in this context. This sentiment is about applications made for people who barely use computers. It’s for like… iPhone apps to order food. This sentiment is just incorrect when it comes to technical tools made for professionals.
Apply this to like any other profession and it makes it obvious how nonsense it is.
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I see where you’re coming from, but I’ve encountered many things in professional applications where the UX baffles me. I know what I’m trying to get the program to do but it seems to require me to keep notes as to how to achieve the thing. Menu entries with needlessly cryptic names, heavily nested functionality, that sort of thing.
While I believe everything I’ve said I also believe that 90% of graphical applications are dogshit and 99% of closed source software is dogshit and I don’t think these things can change due to conflict of interest. I very strictly use only open source software in my workflow and because of this, when I have a problem with the tools I just fix them myself.
Even if I had that luxury, I really don’t want to spend my time fixing someone else’s UI. I have my own projects to work on.
I used to do a lot of user testing and I think it’s something every bit of software needs. I really admire projects that decide to do big pushes on usability and papercuts.