
Ask HN: What are good examples of “pro” UI? - henrikeh
The recent discussion on best books on UI&#x2F;UX[1] got me thinking: What are some good examples of user interface design for professional applications: CAD tools, audio&#x2F;video editors etc. Tools which help people do a job.<p>Especially interested in tooling optimized for productivity and &quot;power users&quot; (however those are).<p>[1]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=18662992
======
gitgud
Well as a CAD/IDE/VIDEO EDITOR _power user_ I liked the following UI concepts:

I LIKE:

\- Keyboard shortcuts!

\- Hide/Add menu items

\- Save a copy of your settings configuration

\- Scripting system in a well documented language

\- Clean icon-based tabbed menu at top, like MS Word.

\- Large work-space, for editing/viewing

\- File browser tree on left

\- Definitely a plugin system/store

I HATE:

\- I hate to see thousands of menu items...

\- I hate to see a lot of space dedicated to small menus that don't get used
much/ever. If I don't need it, then hide it.

\- When there's no way to create a shortcut

------
knaik94
Blender and any other programs that truly embody customizable. A power user
adapts a UI to their own needs instead of adapting to the program, in my
opinion.

~~~
kakarot
Blender and Foobar2000 are my favorite UIs for any end-user program. The
potential for customization is endless.

Does anyone else know of programs of this caliber, with a strong emphasis on
extendable UI/UX?

------
trapsta
Sketch is the ultimate optimized UI for power users - designers. Sketch can do
what both Photoshop and Illustrator can do without looking bloated and
'laggy'. It's minimalist and spartan UI hides a depth of power and
functionality it's like having a la Ferrari engine underneath a Minicooper

------
tnolet
Ableton Live, Cubase.

~~~
GeneralMaximus
Seconding Ableton. Live combined with the Push 2 is the best computer
interface I've seen for anything. I've often found myself starting a project
at 9pm at night and just getting lost tinkering with the sounds. The next
thing you know it's 2am and I'll have a headache at work tomorrow.

You can do the same thing with a keyboard and mouse, but the Push makes
playful experimentation so much easier, tactile, and fun.

------
simon_acca
matlab, bloomberg terminal, airbus cockpit, the vim keybindings

------
carloscarnero
Maya, Avid Media Composer, Pro Tools

~~~
kibibu
Oof yeah, Maya. That's a learning curve.

------
avmich
Norton Commander and derivatives.

------
cimmanom
The bash shell? Vim?

Photoshop/Illustrator?

------
billconan
blender / adobe photoshop / 3ds max

their UIs are nice designed and practical.

------
InGodsName
Stripe is an often cited example of good UI.

------
kkarakk
[https://uimovement.com/](https://uimovement.com/) and [https://mobile-
patterns.com/](https://mobile-patterns.com/) are sites i as a mobile dev find
interesting

