They really don't think about it at all except for when they need to get specific tasks done that the product does well. They are max zoomed out.

I necessarily am zoomed in to the entire product, from every lowly line of code all the way up to the aggregate product. I am max zoomed in.

This leads to a sense of alienation when I observe the relationship between my users and my product. Sometimes it's simpler to think that I actually don't know my own product, so different is the perspective.

Really it's a matter of how much the product occupies in my mind versus theirs; they are using it opportunistically and would prefer to spend as little time as possible thinking about it. Which I suppose is a good argument against over-engineering; for a mass market product, core features beyond the third will only be used by the developers.

Anyhow, all that is to say I can understand your comment, and I often think that I'm lucky the emacs developers or GvR don't look over my shoulder when I use their software because they would give their cats Nobel prizes. :)

Sorry, still an insult.

But ok. So your users have the intelligence of a cat and are generally really helpless with your software. Then the obvious way forward is to include non-discoverable features, hard-to-read text and extra-confusing mouse gestures...?

Sorry I believe it is not because I did say "when it comes to software". I freely admit to being an imbecile in Quantum Chromodynamics. Same goes with my users. Many of them are actually lawyers, dentists and other rather well off people. I am sure they're intelligent in many fields. But for many of them the software is not their cup of tea. That's just life and I do not see too many Leonardo Da Vincis walking around.

"Offering them hard to read text will help" - well I appreciate your sarcasm but allow me configurable option to ignore it ;)