Software Made Simple has been my slogan for as long as I've been developing software. Many years ago I did a presentation about this as a "lightnin...
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I think the short section about simple code cannot be stressed enough. I’ve met a couple of developers in my career that either do not understand the value of writing simple code or even worse, they think writing code that is very complex (or complicated) makes them a skilled programmer because others having a hard time to understand it.
Write simple code!
Write simple code!
Everybody, write simple code!
I personally find iPhones incredibly frustrating. You're so locked in to doing everything 'their way'. I've tried to help non-tech friends to solve problems they were having on their iPhones before, and I could barely work out how to use the thing. Android phones with stock (or close to stock) Android I have always found to be far more intuitive and easy to use.
Many, many things that are so easy to do on Android seem an absolute chore on the iPhone
I’ve not used stock Android, just the Amazon Fire OS variant which is not good. What is an example of something you’ve found easier on Android than iPhone?
The main thing would be sharing things easily between apps. This seems so limited in iOS after using Android
Gotta agree with your there. Sharing stuff between iOS apps is certainly a pain from both a developer and user standpoint.
Words of wisdom :) I like Rich Hickey's take on simplicity with the "simple is better than complex, complex is better than complicated".
A good reminder for all creators: developers, writers, engineers…
We should spend more time visualizing how our product will be used.
How it will affect the end user.
Any small optimization will potentially benefit thousands of users and their precious time.
The creation process burden should fade away so that only the product itself remains, hiding all the complexity underneath.
I'm usually stumped by Apple apps, even after having had to use one for years. The photo apps? baffling. I have to google how to do anything. iPhones? Insanely difficult to use.
As a tiny example, I gave my mother an ipod nano (the one with the click wheel) then they came out, and they didn't come with a manual. Next time I visited her I found she didn't use it because she hated the interface - turned out she'd been clicking the wheel top right left and bottom instead of moving her thumb around in a circle. Because - wait for it - there's no signifier and no manual.
Simple is good, however Apple's version of it is usually at the cost of usability.
It sounds to me like the problem is discoverabilty, not useability. Once you showed her the spin motion, all else is pretty simple. The spin motion was more discoverable on the original iPod because it actually spun.
But Apple's decision not to include manuals can only work when the product's features are discoverable. It's obvious once you've seen it, but if there's no system in place to let you see it before you use the device and no signifiers around the device itself, it's all down to luck.
K.I.S.S. - The mantra we should all strive to achieve :)
I've been a iPhone user for years. After having the iPhone4, I took a break and tried the Microsoft phones, and found them to be a breath of fresh air, except for the lack of specific apps. As a phone, it had all the core features, it was simple, and it worked well. After switching back to iPhone 6, Apple had added so many new features that it wasn't the simple phone I started off with years before, and I was a bit lost. If I was confused, I can only wonder how my senior citizen parents may feel after they inadvertently swipe from a edge of the screen, and see a view they've never encountered before. I feel Apple has crossed it and created something that isn't so simple anymore.
As for the Amazon Fire tables, I feel they were never simple to begin with. Maybe that's because I was coming from the iOS direction.
KISS it or DUMP it