←back to thread

1026 points domenicd | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.235s | source
Show context
keiferski ◴[] No.44020946[source]
I’ve been using Anki for about a decade now, and as far as I’m concerned, the only real improvements needed are design/UI based. It is functionally irrelevant if the algorithm is optimized or not when the actual user interface seems boring to potential users. While I do like that Anki has power user options, it’s also very unintuitive to the average person just looking into it.

Which is really a shame, as the spacing effect itself is such an underrated aspect of human learning that it almost feels like cheating.

replies(7): >>44020994 #>>44021017 #>>44021265 #>>44021330 #>>44021559 #>>44021951 #>>44025548 #
arrowsmith ◴[] No.44020994[source]
I love Anki but it’s an archetypal example of “designed by an engineer”.

It’s powerful, with a lot of depth to its features - but it’s also hideous, clunky and unintuitive, and it takes a long time to figure out how to use it effectively.

An HN-reading tech nerd can probably figure it out, but your average Duolingomaxxing normie? No chance.

replies(5): >>44021013 #>>44021018 #>>44021230 #>>44021742 #>>44021764 #
1. federicotdn ◴[] No.44021230[source]
Reminds me of how I'm using Anki on iOS to learn German, and my phone's configured language is German, except for the Anki app, which is ironically the only app I've configured to be in English because I couldn't understand what 80% of the buttons meant.