[Cialug] Flash Porn (SFW)

[Don Ellis]

I will say that what you're seeing is the same old lack of understanding of
UI in general that we've seen as long as there have been [cheap] printed
books.

On some sites, you can click on a line to expand it, then click on another
and it also expands, placing the expanded details much closer than if
separated by all the other lines in between.

Maybe we don't notice when the job is done well? It's only a problem if
it's done poorly. Hence the aphorism "Easy is hard". Doing it right
requires introspection, understanding, thought, and sometimes hard work. Of
course, is the artist is especially talented, she doesn't realize she's
actually doing something others find difficult.

--Don

"Common sense is easy if you already know the answer"


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:50 AM, Todd Walton <tdwalton at gmail.com> wrote:

> You know how there's the term "data porn", which means a display of data
> for consumption that gives the feeling, but not the reality, of knowledge
> or understanding?  There should be a similar term for when people use
> flashy movy GUI elements that way.  I don't need crap to move around on the
> screen when I hover over it, or expand or flash stupidly.  Argh.
>
> I use one application that's written with HTML5 or Ajax or something, that
> shows fat lines for a list of things, and if you click into one of the
> lines it expands slightly with additional information, and then once it
> expands you can click again and open a new page of information about it.
> It just has the effect of hiding information you want to know until you
> click on each line.  And I can't visually compare the details of each line
> because if I look at one line, note the number in space X, and then click
> on another one it shifts everything around and breaks my gaze so that I
> can't line up columns in my mind.  Argh!
>
> It's just flash for flash's sake.  All lightning, no thunder.  It's
> annoying.
>
> --
> Todd