Until We All Have Super Powers, UIs Are Going To Suck.

Today I offer you an idea: all modern UIs suck. And they’re going to continue to suck until you can pick up your phone with your mind. Or magically shrink your desktop computer to fit in your pocket. Or fly.

My dissatisfaction in user interfaces comes from the ever-present distance between what I want to do and the technology that carries it out. It’s something I’m going to call the ‘fulfillment gap’. I characterize the fulfillment gap as the sum of all obstacles that stand between me telling my computer or phone to do something and the end result of it doing that thing. It could be the time it takes to finish, the number of menu options you have to slog through, the counter-intuitive design, the complexity, the learning curve or an unholy combination of all of the above.

Interaction design’s primary focus has always been to remove these obstacles. Norman’s gulfs of evaluation and execution framework offer a great theoretical starting point. The idea is that the UI needs to bridge the user’s perception of what the system should do and how it should do it. There are a few tried-and-true methods to accomplishing this.

• Minimize the number of screens the user needs to see before they can complete their task.
• Use representations the users are familiar with. (using a magnifying glass to mean search for example.)
• Consistency.

Just to name few.

I’ve gotta give credit to the field though because with all of their fancy usability standards it’s easier than ever to sort out the bad UIs from the good ones. But that’s only half of why I’m angry with the UIs of today. To a reasonable extent I’d be willing to put up with poorly designed interfaces but I’m super critical if it doesn’t offer me some sort of customization.

See I like my software. And when I’m offered the chance to spice things up a bit to show off a bit of flair, I’ll hop on it real fast. It’s why I almost always add a feature to change the theme of apps I build. Being able to express your style should be up there on the list of things a good UI should accomplish.

Let’s summarize. UIs should:

• Eliminate the ‘fulfillment gap’ completely. In other words I want things done fast and efficiently. (We’re getting there though.)
• Offer you the chance to show off your uniqueness. In other words I want to do those things with style.

If you think about it, aren’t super powers kind of like the ultimate user interface? I’m just saying why take a bus to school when flying will get you there in half the time with the added bonus of looking way cool.