Intentionally Bad UI Design

[Agent Squirrel]

What is that called again? The technique to make the UI as bad as possible to discourage user to do something, like hiding a link between layers of link, I remember watching a youtube video about it years ago, but I can't seems to find it.

[Chris Pratt]

Stupid. It's called stupid. Seriously, though, I've never heard to this as a thing, but intentionally providing a bad UI, for any reason, is just moronic. If you don't want a user to do a thing, it shouldn't even be available to them. You shouldn't instead present some option they can't actually take, and intentionally frustrate them. That makes no sense.

[Agent Squirrel]

1 minute ago, Chris Pratt said:

Stupid. It's called stupid. Seriously, though, I've never heard to this as a thing, but intentionally providing a bad UI, for any reason, is just moronic. If you don't want a user to do a thing, it shouldn't even be available to them. You shouldn't instead present some option they can't actually take, and intentionally frustrate them. That makes no sense.

well some website want to discourage user because it can be a headache for them, one of the example the video gave is Amazon, but I forgot what the issue was, it's pretty great, and informative video.

[Agent Squirrel]

And I got a personal experience with one online shop app, where when you're on your phone requesting a refund, if you scroll up too fast the page gonna refresh itself, and cancelling everything you've typed, and every picture you've submitted.

[Chris Pratt]

1 minute ago, Agent Squirrel said:

well some website want to discourage user because it can be a headache for them, one of the example the video gave is Amazon, but I forgot what the issue was, it's pretty great, and informative video.

Like a support contact form buried 10 pages deep, that asks for your complete life history before you can actually submit it, simply because the company doesn't actually want to field the support requests? Yeah, that's a thing, but it's a BS, anti-consumer move, and frankly, I'd stop doing business with any company that pulled that crap.

 

If you don't want to offer support, or whatever it is, then don't. But, to say you do, and then make it nearly impossible for a consumer to actually take you up on it, is dishonest and disreputable.

 

[RejZoR]

20 minutes ago, Agent Squirrel said:

What is that called again? The technique to make the UI as bad as possible to discourage user to do something, like hiding a link between layers of link, I remember watching a youtube video about it years ago, but I can't seems to find it.

It's called Mozilla Firefox lmao

[Agent Squirrel]

I've found it, it called "Dark Patterns", here's the video if anyone interested: 

 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

Stupid. It's called stupid. Seriously, though, I've never heard to this as a thing, but intentionally providing a bad UI, for any reason, is just moronic. If you don't want a user to do a thing, it shouldn't even be available to them. You shouldn't instead present some option they can't actually take, and intentionally frustrate them. That makes no sense.

A lot of websites actually do it, whether many people realize it or not, It's just a matter of if you ever have to go through it. The point is to make the option available but deter people from actually wanting to use it.

Say cancelling a subscription or a order, closing an account, support requests, ban appeals for games and other misc software, etc...

I'm not sure the practice really has a name, but some people refer to it as User Inyerface based on the website User Inyerface developed by Bagaar.

[Radium_Angel]

18 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

It's called Mozilla Firefox lmao

I think you meant Windows 10

(but yeah, the firefox UI is bad)

[Moonzy]

35 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

but intentionally providing a bad UI, for any reason, is just moronic.

some company dont want to deal with people, but have to provide such a service because of requirements.

 

for example,

have you tried locating gigabyte's warranty page?

 

let me show you

first you google gigabyte, then click on the first link to bring you to global version, then click on service/support

Spoiler

 

then you click on Warranty, and choose your region (thats why i shared mine because they might have better process in USA to please the vocal audience, mine's malaysia), you then pick any product, it'll just tell you to contact retailer, which i dont really want to, i would like to ask gigabyte something regarding warranty (ie, if repasting GPU is covered)

Spoiler

 

but wait, there's a customer service and online support tab down there?! let's click it

then it brings you to this site

Spoiler

 

when you try and make an account, it errors out and does nothing basically

i browsed their web and cant even find an email address for enquiry.

 

i basically had to send my GPU to my retailer, getting charged a handling fee, and told to wait ONE MONTH without any update on status, to which i have yet to receive a reply

 

why does it take one fucking month to diagnose a high temperature issue? what are they fucking doing with my card? basically burning through my warranty period and my gaming hours

 

honestly, fuck gigabyte

[Radium_Angel]

12 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

honestly, fuck gigabyte

It's not just gigabyte, but in my (admittedly limited) personal experience, they are all like that. They don't want to deal with individuals, too much hassle, so they make it really hard to find them. 

[Moonzy]

Just now, Radium_Angel said:

They don't want to deal with individuals, too much hassle, so they make it really hard to find them. 

corsair and be quiet gets a gold award from me

smooth experience from my end

 

it's up to the company's philosophy

[sub68]

1 hour ago, Moonzy said:

corsair and be quiet gets a gold award from me

smooth experience from my end

 

it's up to the company's philosophy

corsair has been great also sennheiser

[sub68]

2 hours ago, RejZoR said:

It's called Mozilla Firefox lmao

umm no once you get used to it its fine

I am currently using firefox and love it

[RejZoR]

1 hour ago, sub68 said:

umm no once you get used to it its fine

I am currently using firefox and love it

Been using it since version 0.8. It only got worse and more retarded. And I can only do so much with my Firefox Tweaker to fix or revert Mozilla's idiocies. But it's like they wake up every morning, go to work, have a meeting, sip on a cup of coffee and make a brilliant plan how to fuck it up even more than they already have the day before. It's why "Firefox" flashed into my mind the moment guy asked about intentionally bad design. There is no way anyone would make it this dumb and retarded by mistake.

[sub68]

6 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Been using it since version 0.8. It only got worse and more retarded. And I can only do so much with my Firefox Tweaker to fix or revert Mozilla's idiocies. But it's like they wake up every morning, go to work, have a meeting, sip on a cup of coffee and make a brilliant plan how to fuck it up even more than they already have the day before. It's why "Firefox" flashed into my mind the moment guy asked about intentionally bad design. There is no way anyone would make it this dumb and retarded by mistake.

Ok I see that 

But my computers can't run chrome so I have to run Firefox

[Mark Kaine]

2 hours ago, sub68 said:

umm no once you get used to it its fine

I am currently using firefox and love it

Do they still do this thing where it downloads an update and then literally force you to restart?  Because lol...

 

 

[sub68]

23 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

Do they still do this thing where it downloads an update and then literally force you to restart?  Because lol...

 

 

I don't think so 

[EricX2]

Wait, these horrible UI designs are intentional? I'll be honest, just because you call them something cool like "Dark  Patterns" doesn't deter from the fact that what they truly are is poor customer service and if used in times that are only there to prevent you from doing something you really DO want to do, it seems like the invitation to a future class action lawsuit.

[EricX2]

1 hour ago, RejZoR said:

Been using it since version 0.8. It only got worse and more retarded. And I can only do so much with my Firefox Tweaker to fix or revert Mozilla's idiocies. But it's like they wake up every morning, go to work, have a meeting, sip on a cup of coffee and make a brilliant plan how to fuck it up even more than they already have the day before. It's why "Firefox" flashed into my mind the moment guy asked about intentionally bad design. There is no way anyone would make it this dumb and retarded by mistake.

If it "changes" on it's own, you have something on your system changing it. It doesn't "change on it's own". Even during upgrades. Unless you told it to not save a profile. Or delete your profile every day. Are you talking about a work computer managed by someone else? They likely have a set standard profile. If you're talking about your PC, you have something screwed up. Not sure how to prove it but I have half a dozen computers and none ever have what you describe. I switched to firefox when google changed from their "don't be evil" corporate attitude to "do nothing but evil"

 

Either way, I don't think that's in any way what the OP was talking about.

[RejZoR]

7 minutes ago, EricX2 said:

If it "changes" on it's own, you have something on your system changing it. It doesn't "change on it's own". Even during upgrades. Unless you told it to not save a profile. Or delete your profile every day. Are you talking about a work computer managed by someone else? They likely have a set standard profile. If you're talking about your PC, you have something screwed up. Not sure how to prove it but I have half a dozen computers and none ever have what you describe. I switched to firefox when google changed from their "don't be evil" corporate attitude to "do nothing but evil"

 

Either way, I don't think that's in any way what the OP was talking about.

No, I'm talking about Firefox evolving into retardation it is today.

[Mark Kaine]

Microsoft does it too, especially with their "fluid" design they keep changing where things are and how to access them.   They clearly don't want the user change things (ie turn things off) and they also randomly turn stuff back on (not only after updates) but that's not bad UI design,  that's just bad design. 

 

Security through obscurity... 

 

 

Steam is also really bad but I don't think it's intentional,  more like being stuck in the 90s forever. 

[Radium_Angel]

1 hour ago, Mark Kaine said:

Steam is also really bad but I don't think it's intentional,  more like being stuck in the 90s forever. 

This. So much this.

When I first started using Steam, I was confounded at how bad the UI was. I've gotten used to it, but holy gods is it bad. And "The Big Pitcure" UI is even worse than that

[Mark Kaine]

15 minutes ago, Radium_Angel said:

This. So much this.

When I first started using Steam, I was confounded at how bad the UI was. I've gotten used to it, but holy gods is it bad. And "The Big Pitcure" UI is even worse than that

Yeah, lol I agree, BPM is the worst... 

 

I would really love a "console like UI" with everything easily accessible... But it's pretty much the opposite on top of being a laggy, unintuitive, ugly and buggy mess... I never use it. 

 

 

That said you should try metro UI,  it has a small mode and even makes the default Steam layout (large mode) somewhat less ugly. 

 

 

I gots everything in actual *black* (a color steam apparently doesn't know lol) and purple

 

it also has a couple of more options than regular steam has - and everything is more easily accessible too. 

[Doqtori]

18 hours ago, Chris Pratt said:

Stupid. It's called stupid. Seriously, though, I've never heard to this as a thing, but intentionally providing a bad UI, for any reason, is just moronic. If you don't want a user to do a thing, it shouldn't even be available to them. You shouldn't instead present some option they can't actually take, and intentionally frustrate them. That makes no sense.

Microsoft does this, I personally just encountered this trying to refund a game. I was going trough everywhere trying to find a link where I wouldn't have to call anyone, then I tried one of those "personal assistant bots" (which didn't say anything about refunding), typed in "refund" and it immediately gave me the option to send a refund request trough email.

 

I didn't get the refund