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Free software scares normal people

(danieldelaney.net)
917 points cryptophreak | 3 comments | 30 Oct 25 15:07 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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lateforwork ◴[30 Oct 25 17:20 UTC] No.45762502[source]▶
You don't need two different versions of the software, one that is easy and one that is powerful. You can have one version that is both easy and powerful. Key concepts here are (1) progressive disclosure and (2) constraints.

See Don Norman's Design of Everyday things.

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/progressive-disclosure/

https://www.nngroup.com/videos/positive-constraints-in-ux-wo...

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strix_varius ◴[30 Oct 25 19:33 UTC] No.45764305[source]▶
Progressive disclosure can be intensely annoying to actual power users.

Definitionally, it means you're hiding (non-disclosing) features behind at least 1 secondary screen. Usually, it means hiding features behind several layers of disclosures.

Making a very simple product more powerful via progressive disclosure can be a good way to give more power to non-power users.

Making a powerful product "simpler" via progressive disclosure can annoy the hell out of power users who already use the product.

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1. autoexec ◴[30 Oct 25 21:40 UTC] No.45765703[source]▶
Just add an option for "advanced mode" that if clicked toggles to "basic mode". Power users are going to be looking for advanced features and only have to click it once. People who can barely read and are scared by anything advanced will get the interface they can use best the first time they open the app
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2. balamatom ◴[31 Oct 25 14:56 UTC] No.45772652[source]▶
>People who can barely read and are scared by anything advanced

I wonder who is responsible for the existence of such people.

3. angiolillo ◴[31 Oct 25 18:48 UTC] No.45775343[source]▶
> People who can barely read and are scared by anything advanced will get the interface they can use best the first time they open the app

It's certainly possible they can't read. But more likely they're perfectly intelligent and simply don't appreciate being forced to deal with unnecessary complexity to complete a simple task.

(Someone else's comment reminded me of the CHI video of Allen Newell and Ron Kaplan, two brilliant AI pioneers, struggling with a poorly-designed copy machine https://athinkingperson.com/2010/06/02/where-the-big-green-c...)