| ▲ | Jach a day ago |
| There's a selection effect here in that smart-enough users won't bother contacting support if they work around an issue on their own, or if something is actually a non-issue for 99%+ of the user base. The ratio of usage and support contacts can be monitored. I fear a lot of devs develop unproductive mental models of the user purely from a minority sample. |
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| ▲ | steveBK123 11 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| Smart users forced to use work arounds may also find the workaround is to switch to your competitors product ! |
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| ▲ | carlosjobim 14 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| Designing for the stupid users also makes life easier for the smart users. No matter what you are designing. It makes your product better. |
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| ▲ | 11 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | [deleted] | |
| ▲ | matkoniecz 12 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Sometimes, not always. It may result in power users losing some features. | | |
| ▲ | DrewADesign 3 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Not necessarily. Interface design is a communication medium. A skilled designer can often communicate to multiple types of users solving different types of problems. When an interface is “dumbed down,” it’s usually because a non-designer was trying to ‘clean it up’ or make it pretty by removing what they didn’t need and ignoring what everybody else needs. It’s difficult, and that’s why it’s a distinct field with its own degrees and professional programs. | |
| ▲ | carlosjobim 12 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Sure, but whenever you can make life easier for those who have are having hard time without making life harder for those who aren't, you should do it. For example, no power user benefits from having to use work arounds to make a product function. It's an annoyance to them, and it's an insurmountable obstacle to others. |
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| ▲ | steveBK123 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Wild to me and speaks volumes of HN/SWEs that this is getting downvoted. |
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