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Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by systemvoltage on Monday November 02, 2020 @01:51AM (#24965346)
Isn't this sort of a Fizz Buzz for a UX/UI design professional? I don't mean to demean anyone, but I see this sort of a thing literally everywhere. Hiding important and absolutely crucial information (that can make or break your product) in the name of minimalism. Coming out of a company that has one of the highest hiring bars for software engineering, and yet, their products have such an awful UX/UI. This isn't an exception, it is a pattern.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by atoav on Monday November 02, 2020 @02:21AM (#24965471)
I worked as a freelance graphic artist/web designer once and while I wasn't bad at the job, I really hated one aspect of it: Everybody and their kid thought they knew better than I did. When I said: "Yeah but this should really be visible, because accessibility", they would say: " But it looks better if..."

People in high paid position certainly want "has taste" and "knows what looks good" to be part of their self image. Many fails in design and architecture happen for that reason alone.

I then ended up programming and working in film sound, because very few people in both fields tell you what to do when they have no idea what's going on.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by robotmay on Monday November 02, 2020 @04:01AM (#24965977)
Ah ha, someone with the same experience as me. My degree is in Graphic Design, but I immediately ditched the idea of using it after university and took up programming instead because everyone has a fucking opinion when it comes to design.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by canada_dry on Monday November 02, 2020 @11:45AM (#24970053)
> took up programming instead because everyone has a fucking opinion when it comes to design

I'm guessing code peer-reviews aren't a think at your org.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by sangnoir on Tuesday November 03, 2020 @02:24AM (#24977264)
Imagine a pointy-haired boss, or some rando in Marketing doing your code review (shudders) "That value is a trademarked name of our product - I mean variable - please capitalize it and add a (TM)" I'm glad I don't get noob oversight the way designers do.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by spiderfarmer on Monday November 02, 2020 @06:12AM (#24966774)
I gave up working for clients as a whole. I don't have a problem with feedback, but I hate people dismissing the expertise they hired me to provide.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by slimsag on Monday November 02, 2020 @02:25AM (#24965486)
What do you do as a programmer in film sound? How did you get into that? Sounds very niche/interesting
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by atoav on Tuesday November 03, 2020 @01:00PM (#24982127)
I actually studied film and through my music experience I was always "the sound guy" programming was actually more like a hobby until it turned out I am actually not bad at it.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by slimsag on Tuesday November 03, 2020 @10:44PM (#24986326)
I did a fair amount of indie films and know sound guys, so the part I am confused about is: what are you programming in film sound? is it per-film, or like software for film sound in general?
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by JumpCrisscross on Monday November 02, 2020 @03:40AM (#24965842)
> in the name of minimalism

Ironically forgetting that visual minimalism produced by hiding things isn’t really minimalism.

It would be like me throwing all my things in the garage and advertising my house as Spartan. No, it’s not, it’s a mess. The mess is just hidden until I need to do something.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by tssva on Monday November 02, 2020 @05:34AM (#24966537)
"Hiding important and absolutely crucial information"

If we want to give awards for this my vote would go to Apple. I find their products to be horrific when it comes to completely undiscoverable features. iOS is bad on its own but the Apple TV is a total train wreck. I couldn't get rid of that thing with its awful interface and remote fast enough.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by folmar on Monday November 02, 2020 @04:47PM (#24973820)
I still vote for the Material Design fad. They've named nondiscoverability a virtue.

Can we go to Windows 3.11 design please?

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by rapind on Monday November 02, 2020 @08:20AM (#24967833)
Like the touch bar...
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by mcv on Monday November 02, 2020 @04:38AM (#24966219)
Exactly. Everybody does this. In anything using video, UI elements apparently need to be hidden as much as possible. In virtual meetings, Youtube, and it's often an option in games.

And sometimes it's great, because you get to focus on the content, and sometimes it's not, because you lose control. It's something that should be optional or configurable. It's great to have shortcuts for the most common commands (like space for pause in youtube), and I guess it would make a lot of sense if video conferencing tools also had such a shortcut for mute/unmute.

But again, give people more control over their UI. There are too many applications that mess this up one way or another.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by ajsnigrutin on Monday November 02, 2020 @05:20AM (#24966450)
But this has been a solved problem for ages.... just move your mouse a tiny bit, and all the controls are exposed, with large, visible buttons, help text, etc, click whatever you need to, and the controls slowly dissapear, revealing the video.

Having to find the exact spot to hover your mouse is a bad UX

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by coding_unit_1 on Monday November 02, 2020 @04:46AM (#24966271)
I don't disagree, but all the video conferencing tools have a shortcut for mute/unmute. Google Meet included (Cmd+D on a Mac).
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by magicalhippo on Monday November 02, 2020 @05:14AM (#24966421)
But what's the shortcut for the random conference tool the organizers of this meeting decided to use?

Just make it visible. It's supposed to be a tool, function over form.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by vorpalhex on Monday November 02, 2020 @11:14AM (#24969670)
Which also happens to be the shortcut for bookmarking webpages in most browsers... and Meet doesn't let you rebind this to something sane like spacebar.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by m4rtink on Monday November 02, 2020 @11:25AM (#24969790)
Not to mention the window might not have focus when you need to use it, making it preatty unreliable.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by tuukkah on Monday November 02, 2020 @08:18AM (#24967819)
My laptop has a mute button with a status led - an absolute godsend this year.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by julianlam on Monday November 02, 2020 @09:02AM (#24968191)
Yes, but they're also all different, so you need to play mind games to remember what the shortcut is for which solution.

Global hotkey would be nicer, I think.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by hoseja on Monday November 02, 2020 @04:30AM (#24966168)
It's the absolute disdain for the user, the aim for lowest possible common denominator.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by drevil-v2 on Monday November 02, 2020 @05:24AM (#24966472)
> their products have such an awful UX/UI

This is true. I find Android UI so offensive that if I did not have iOS as an alternate I probably would carry a dumb phone and live like a monk. I can’t stand the miles of white space and brightly coloured tiny UI controls.

Evokes such a visceral reaction in me that even I am startled at times haha

[dead]
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by rwc on Monday November 02, 2020 @06:22AM (#24966839)
Autistic?
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by sundvor on Monday November 02, 2020 @08:03AM (#24967694)
Yeah, the post is 4 hours old and still not flagged.. Downvote cast; I personally find that way of speaking offensive.

EDIT: Thanks fellow mods. I have a son on the spectrum.

Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by adwww on Monday November 02, 2020 @03:37AM (#24965819)
As a developer I'm a huge fan of Google Cloud. But I'd actually think really hard about chosing them if I started by own business, as the customer service is both expensive and woeful.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by mhh__ on Monday November 02, 2020 @03:59AM (#24965967)
That and it's google, will [insert service here] exist in 10 years time?
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by adwww on Monday November 02, 2020 @04:20AM (#24966102)
That's very true. Although so far no GCP services that I've come across have been deprecated.
Re:Background Features in Google Meet, Powered by Web ML by skj on Monday November 02, 2020 @06:18AM (#24966815)