When I was growing up, we had operating systems that exposed a lot of the technical details about their inner workings, and websites that let us use code to customize them, like MySpace and Geocities. UX designers in tech have since optimized away most of the stuff that allowed and encouraged people to learn to use technology and now people get confused by files and browser tabs. And as the knowledge shrinks, more and more things have to be simplified away. I only ever see it as a one way road.
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@Gargron that's because you're technically proficient.
@odr_k4tana And why am I technically proficient? It is because of what was available for me to play with when I was growing up. Something no longer available to newer generations.
@Gargron @odr_k4tana that completely depends on your interests. I have two kids, one is helping me solder, wants to press buttons and see how the insides of things look.
The other dances, sings and just wants stuff to work.
The majority of the world just can't be arsed about things they don't want to invest their time in.
I believe this falls under the "optimisers or satisficers" versus "maximisers" observation.
See: satisficing. Maximisers tend to enjoy things less. Ignorance is bliss.
@Gargron @odr_k4tana Hello, this is someone who grew up using fancy UX and iPads. There was more than enough stuff for me to play with and break as I grew up - from Scratch to HTML and JS to finding ways to bypass firewalls to "Swift Playgrounds." It's not because people don't have the option to learn - it's because they don't have the desire. The way you create that desire isn't by presenting weird and complex flows to get essential things done - it's by socially rewarding the process of gaining knowledge - allowing people that learn CSS to show off their styles on their profiles, allowing people to share little games they make, and bigger ones and even full apps. In the meantime, making getting stuff done harder doesn't serve anyone.
@JadedBlueEyes @odr_k4tana You are not disagreeing with me.
@Gargron @odr_k4tana As a counterpoint, microcontrollers today are so much better and so much cheaper than they ever were in the past it’s ridiculous. People who want to learn how computers actually work have never had it so good.
@Gargron @odr_k4tana
Eugen - I remember installing Slackware (4) from 3.5" floppies because my CDROM was not supported, and then learning how to roll my own device driver so I could used the ROM drive. It never worked quite right but I learned a lot in the process.
This. This, we have taken for granted for too long'
@Gargron nope. That digital behaviourism stuff is not true. You are/were interested in it and actively pursued it. Contrary to the average Mastodon user's beliefs (apparently), most people are not inherently interested in tech. They use it, but hate having to deal with it.
@odr_k4tana @Gargron I mean you're both painting with too broad of strokes in your generalizations and missing wide swathes of populations while neither of you is technically wrong about the specific users you're talking about. Usability is a spectrum and creating a one-size-fits-all UX is an antipattern no matter how much or little it abstracts away decision making possibilities from the user.
Open standards, data, and interoperability enable these experiences for the whole spectrum. MySpace was a great example because you didn't have to understand HTML/CSS to use it, but if you wanted to understand it then you could use it to personalize your page, if you didn't care one bit about learning any of it but still wanted to personalize your page then it opened a market for templates and style generators with better usability, and if you had no interest in any of that then the app was no less usable.
