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Comment by joshuak | Hacker News Reader

I agree on the more and more useless progress of web interface design. The hamburger icon (three-strip icon as you call it) being particularly egregious, akin to the travesty that is the 'start' button on windows.

However, to be fair, Apple designers are very much against this trend as well (not to defend the recent downturn in Apple UX design).

I recommend this 2014 WWDC talk on UX[1]. The entire talk is worth watching even for non iOS UX design. but it goes into the problems with hamburger menus specifically at 32 minutes.

1: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2014-211/

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Calling the start button a travesty is ridiculous. The start menu is a useful and appropriate menu where programs and other shortcuts are listed that nobody really has a problem with outside contrived complaints on the internet that were made for the sake of complaining. The real travesty was the abrasive and confusing replacement they made for it in Windows 8.

You weren't around for the release of Windows 95, I take it. The OS tried very hard to point out that you have to click the start button to, well, start doing things—but people usually just Didn't Get It anyway until someone guided them through the process.

Probably the best thing Microsoft could have done back then was make a little pseudo-video† walkthrough, showing people what's in the Start Menu and what happens when you click on a few of the items in there.

† What do you call a video stored as a sequence of automation triggers for software, rather than as pixels? Are you allowed to call it "machinima" if it's not a game?

But you only have to learn it once. Just like the hamburger.

Start button is where you go to start a program. Hamburger button is where you go when you've tried everything else.. I.e. It's a placeholder for random stuff which is why it's bad design.

> Start button is where you go to start a program.

Or to shut down the computer.

> Or to shut down the computer.

That should be "Start to shut down the computer". (grin)

Start button is where you go to initiate an action.

I hate this joke.

The Start button may not be brilliant, but it came about through actual usability studies. Having just the one button drastically reduced the time it took people to find things.

> Probably the best thing Microsoft could have done back then was make a little pseudo-video† walkthrough, showing people what's in the Start Menu and what happens when you click on a few of the items in there. They did that. Windows 95 came with a whole bunch of tutorials. IIRC they worked like you describe. There was also the notorious "Tip of the day" via the welcome.exe.

"Streaming is available in Safari, and through the WWDC app."

It's 2015! I didn't think 'Best Viewed with Internet Explorer' was a thing anymore.

It's a thing when they do any product launches as well, I end up having to paste the stream into VLC.

Don't own any Apple stuff but I like to watch what they are up to (often because I'll end up supporting their stuff at some point).

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