"hiding less used features" Like sending an email?
I agree with everything you've written above, and unfortunately agree with you that they've nearly perfectly designed the UI to match "some population".
I firmly believe that proof of space aliens on earth will not be techno-thriller like spaceplanes in area 51 or theatrical drama like a UFO landing on the whitehouse lawn (we'd probably shoot it down anyway) but more likely we'll finally prove space aliens are among us when we properly identify the UI designers at APPL, GOOG, MSFT are all Vulcans and Orion Space Pirates which explains why normal earthlings can't make any sense out of what they're pushing to us.
The "modern" problem with UI seen over the past few years isn't conservatism, or ageism, or noob orientation, or pushing hardware tech for the sake of increased sales, the problem is the focus groups being used are composed of homeless Alpha Centaurians on LSD instead of humans, so naturally the endusers have an intense WTF moment when they're subjected to something that makes perfect sense if you have eyeballs that can see ultraviolet and seven fingers per tentacle.
Several jobs ago I worked at a place where they formally directed us to think about any written communication we generate, and if it sounds like something you'd read in a Dilbert cartoon, think it over a bit more. Modern UI designers need to implement a similar rule, if Cthulhu rises and decides to use your phone, or Vulcans land and click on your website, and they love it and feel you designed your product specifically for members of a horror mythos or space aliens, as a designer you're probably doing something wrong unless you're a hollywood sci fi prop designer.
Just tested this on my GMail. None of the tools required to send an E-mail are hidden. In fact you can do it all without even using a mouse if you have shortcuts turned on.
I agree with everything you've written above, and unfortunately agree with you that they've nearly perfectly designed the UI to match "some population".
I firmly believe that proof of space aliens on earth will not be techno-thriller like spaceplanes in area 51 or theatrical drama like a UFO landing on the whitehouse lawn (we'd probably shoot it down anyway) but more likely we'll finally prove space aliens are among us when we properly identify the UI designers at APPL, GOOG, MSFT are all Vulcans and Orion Space Pirates which explains why normal earthlings can't make any sense out of what they're pushing to us.
The "modern" problem with UI seen over the past few years isn't conservatism, or ageism, or noob orientation, or pushing hardware tech for the sake of increased sales, the problem is the focus groups being used are composed of homeless Alpha Centaurians on LSD instead of humans, so naturally the endusers have an intense WTF moment when they're subjected to something that makes perfect sense if you have eyeballs that can see ultraviolet and seven fingers per tentacle.
Several jobs ago I worked at a place where they formally directed us to think about any written communication we generate, and if it sounds like something you'd read in a Dilbert cartoon, think it over a bit more. Modern UI designers need to implement a similar rule, if Cthulhu rises and decides to use your phone, or Vulcans land and click on your website, and they love it and feel you designed your product specifically for members of a horror mythos or space aliens, as a designer you're probably doing something wrong unless you're a hollywood sci fi prop designer.