
Apps, Stop Infantilizing Your Users - jordankoschei
https://jordankoschei.com/2018/10/27/stop-infantilizing-your-users/
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jchw
Actually... I like this stuff. Moreover, why _does_ it bother people? It's
just some cute drawings. If you don't like it that's reasonable but to
actually get upset over it is just weird to me.

This has got to be some weird cultural thing. I've never been myself, but from
what I've heard, Japan doesn't seem to mind cutesy drawings everywhere.

If they just mean the flat design itself, I understand even less what the
problem is.

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vernie
I'm an adult, that's why I've worn a suit since high school.

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lupire
Why do you wear a suit? And what gave you the impression that adult means
wearing a suit? Children wear suits, too.

A suit is the same as these cutest decorations in these apps -- an elevation
of a certain "look" over functionality and utility, in hopes that people will
overlook your flaws in substance because of the way you look.

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majewsky
Meh, I thought this was about apps that dumb down functionality and suffer
from overly-clever syndrome. Can we have a thread about that instead? :)

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wtmt
I find these cute and beautiful. As someone who cannot draw well, I appreciate
graphic designs that attract people and make things a bit more fun where
necessary. Computers and websites are already scary and difficult to use for
most common people. Humanizing them in ways like these could possibly reduce
the intimidation factor and get the message across to people. I would actually
welcome more of these in consumer facing sites and services. They may probably
not sit very well in enterprise settings, depending on the service and
audience.

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jakebasile
This stuff only occasionally jumps out at me as being "too much" although
overall I dislike the CalArts style.

I remember installing Docker.app on my Mac and the installer said they're
"whale-y" happy to meet me (along with a cute whale drawing), which caused a
reflexive eye roll from me.

I just wanted to get Docker on my machine.

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lupire
I suspect the problem is that the app does need _some kind_ of visual style,
but the biz and engineer people aren't artists, so they have to hire an
artist, and the art world is overrun by the "CalArts" style garbage.

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rpdillon
I agree this is a problem. Market pressure forces companies whose primary goal
is growth to cater to the widest audience possible, which closes the door to
more sophisticated messaging and UX, I think. This is one reason I prefer
community-built software.

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sxp62000
Not a big fan of this style, but it's either cute illustrations or stock
photography that looks like stock photography. With illustrations you can at
least keep the look and feel of everything consistent.

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sxp62000
For a lot of designers and UXers, adding delight/magic to an app means adding
cutesy illustrations and wacky animations. Delight for me is when an app does
more with less input from me.

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vernie
Counterpoint: I don't mind it.

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zzo38computer
I do have a complaint about it, but not because of the specific art style, but
rather because they add so much unnecessary pictures that it wastes disk
space. If they are animated, it wastes processing time too.

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hnbroseph
the rant doesn't establish how the presence of an art style results in the
"infantilization" of users.

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lupire
It gives examples of drawings that immediately call to mind toddlers' picture
books, with simple bright colors and exaggerated facial features.

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adamnemecek
God the ukulele music.

