Re:Show HN: Wey – A fast, open-source Slack desktop app
by TuringTest on Monday April 09, 2018 @12:28PM
(#16794452)
>do you really believe that or does your job depending on you and others, believing that?
It's not a question of believing; the job exists because there's a real need to optimize the visuals. The brain has its own API (see [1], [2]) and if you don't optimize the "visual code" to it, the interface may work, but in sub-optimal ways and causing a discomfort to the user. It's like having a C program that leaks memory. It may perform the expected task, but you wouldn't say it's "right".
Margin and padding, alignment, contrast and relative positions define the structure of the interface - in the same way that you use Layout objects behind the curtain to program where every widget is placed, you should use the visual properties of separation, visual weight and rhythm to tell the user which parts are related and what is the hierarchy of the elements. If you fail to convey the structure to the user, their mental model will be wrong and the interface will be hard to use.
It's not a question of believing; the job exists because there's a real need to optimize the visuals. The brain has its own API (see [1], [2]) and if you don't optimize the "visual code" to it, the interface may work, but in sub-optimal ways and causing a discomfort to the user. It's like having a C program that leaks memory. It may perform the expected task, but you wouldn't say it's "right".
Margin and padding, alignment, contrast and relative positions define the structure of the interface - in the same way that you use Layout objects behind the curtain to program where every widget is placed, you should use the visual properties of separation, visual weight and rhythm to tell the user which parts are related and what is the hierarchy of the elements. If you fail to convey the structure to the user, their mental model will be wrong and the interface will be hard to use.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestalt_psychology#Pr%C3%A4gna...
[2] http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gestalt_principles