Productivity software, computer maintenance tools, creative software suites, integrated development environments, habit trackers, language learning apps, video games, video streaming libraries, pretty much anything that involves a screen feels bad. It's so odd that every bit of software's UI/UX feels both overly designed/bloated but also simultaneously barren and empty. Software design seems increasingly unable to fulfill its basic functionality. So many of the bits of software that we interact with feel identical but also somehow feel distinctly bad.
I can't articulate how capitalism is to blame but if any of you could help I would appreciate it.
You’d think that there would be some sort of universal visual/technical language we can all agree upon but it seems that there is no real driving aesthetic philosophy for systems we use every day. Aside from getting users to interact with a payment system/outlet all of the software we use has dreadful UI/UX.
Paying for something is very easy. Simple and intuitive (most of the time), it’s usually one to four clicks/taps but actually using a thing is seemingly more difficult. Using a common feature of a product can be somewhere between two to nine clicks/taps. I don’t think everything should be command-line interfaces (CLI) of course, but I will say that CLI at least usually allow users to get what they want.
I know it’s usually answered with “because money”, but how and why are UI/UX so universally bad for pretty much every bit of software we all use? It feels kind like how every car (fuck cars) had the same weird amorphous shape that is both considered “normal” must also universally unappealing.
What happened?
I love CLI, I really do! I just think CLI can be a bit of a turn off for our non techie comrades. I love the fact with a few hotkeys and arguements I can do turbo-nerd shit with the computer, but I don't think people should have to be technowizards to navigate the systems and interfaces they deal with everyday. I would like if UI/UX had the common folk in mind, I feel like someone's granny can't do something with your tech you should have to redesign it.
developing UIs is a process of creating an abstraction that provides a mental model for interacting with a piece of software. trying to simplify the interface via visual metaphors can be powerful but it's hard to do well. yet language is equally flexible and it's generally easier for most people to design a linguistic interface than a visual one - we all have regular practice explaining how to do things to others. I think that's why CLI interfaces are usually more powerful and simpler to learn, if you can get past the upfront cost of computer literacy.