Re:PDF: Still unfit for human consumption, 20 years later
by TheOtherHobbes on Wednesday August 12, 2020 @09:35AM
(#24131925)
It's not just that some people demand it, it's that some PDF use cases require it. PDF is often used for semi-complex forms, and while of course you can design forms that reflow for mobile/HTML, the results are often... not great.
The meta-UX point is that a fixed layout allows you to use spatial relationships to indicate how fields are related. This is such an intuitive thing even inexperienced or amateur designers tend to do it by default.
Reflow doesn't allow this, and with some forms, reflow can literally make the layout - and the content - incomprehensible. There are workarounds, but it's often impossible to create a dynamic design that has the same mix of information density and spatial hinting as a static layout.
The meta-UX point is that a fixed layout allows you to use spatial relationships to indicate how fields are related. This is such an intuitive thing even inexperienced or amateur designers tend to do it by default.
Reflow doesn't allow this, and with some forms, reflow can literally make the layout - and the content - incomprehensible. There are workarounds, but it's often impossible to create a dynamic design that has the same mix of information density and spatial hinting as a static layout.