Peopleware Papers: Notes on the Human Side of Software, The

Chapter 42. Objects in Your Face

Graphical user interfaces have nothing to do with usability, they have to do with graphics. After all, what's the point of having a fancy GUI if you don't use it to draw pretty pictures? And, with display performance a vanishing issue, why not animate your pretty pictures? The aim is marketing and the target is reviewers and software purchasers who look, but not too carefully, then write a rave review or order a site license. Users who care more about getting real work done are another group altogether, which is one reason you hear a lot more about user interfaces than usability, more about “user-centric” design philosophy than about supporting work, more about listening to the voice of the customer than about ...