The Navigation Bar Is an Affordance, Stop Removing It

Re:The Navigation Bar Is an Affordance, Stop Removing It by jerf on Thursday January 14, 2016 @12:16PM (#10902718)

"I refuse to assume that my users have an IQ of less than a carrot."

Think of it less as an IQ issue and more of a "cognitive energy" issue. Even a smart person would prefer something easier rather than harder because they've got things to do with their limited cognitive energy budget other than merely navigate your website. Plus energy burned that way is energy they're not burning on your actual content, whatever it may be.

It's like accessibility in general; you make your site work well for impaired vision, you've almost certainly improved it for everybody.

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Re:The Navigation Bar Is an Affordance, Stop Removing It by tragic on Thursday January 14, 2016 @12:20PM (#10902758)

Also relevant: http://seriouspony.com/blog/2013/7/24/your-app-makes-me-fat

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Re:The Navigation Bar Is an Affordance, Stop Removing It by mbcrower on Thursday January 14, 2016 @12:38PM (#10902886)

If you found this article interesting, then check out Thinking Fast & Slow by Danial Kahneman.

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Re:The Navigation Bar Is an Affordance, Stop Removing It by jerf on Thursday January 14, 2016 @12:48PM (#10902957)

Yup, partially comes from there and partially from a lot of the other research on willpower that has been coming out lately. While some of it has proved to be a bit overstated (at least in the press) and there probably isn't literally a such thing as "cognitive energy", I find it a helpful metaphor. Once you realize that you and others have a finite amount of it, you can start thinking clearly about how you spend it and why. The concept in your head doesn't have to be a 100% accurate reflection of reality to produce useful changes.

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