Comment by Causality1 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Causality1 | Hacker News Reader

For some reason companies hate text now. Instead of a menu, you get icons with as minimalistic a design and as little difference between them as possible. Entering your user name and password is two separate pages for some reason now. Window borders have disappeared so instead of knowing at a glance where you can click and drag you have to closely watch your mouse pointer change. A big "Hewwo 2 U!" screen is added between turning your computer on and being able to enter your password as if you foolishly left your desktop in your jeans pocket and Windows wants to make sure you're not pocket-PowerPointing.

It's like they're trying to alienate everyone not intimately familiar with the system and appeal to the lowest common denominator at the same time.

I don't mean to defend the trend of using undecipherable icons with no text labels, but this is an example of how requirements can clash: internationalization.

Sometimes the text label that would fit in English is too long when properly translated to another language.

(Icons are problem too: they can be meaningless to an user. However, they have the benefit of a somewhat constrained size, unlike words and phrases.)

I personally prefer interfaces that scroll, like web pages, to interfaces with a fixed or partially fixed frame, like mobile apps. A fixed frame works when you can fit it in full in your screen; this was easier on a low-resolution but large display than on a very high resolution 4-6 inch display.

I for one like the material minimalistic menu items we get now. (Assuming they use standard material design icons) it makes it quickly recognisable and accessible.

If you use them constantly. For example, most of my Gmail use is on an android device, which has a radically different UI than the web mail. When I use the web mail, probably once a month or so, I have to use tool tips every time because I've forgotten which tiny grey on grey button is reply, which is spam, etc.

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