Sanding UI (blog.jim-nielsen.com)

Article summary

The article discusses the importance of thoroughly testing and polishing a user interface by clicking around and trying to break it, much like a woodworker sands down a piece of wood to smooth out the rough edges. The author shares a personal experience of discovering a 'dead zone' in a radio button's UI and how they fixed it by putting the input inside the label and adding padding. This approach allows for a more intuitive and user-friendly interface. The author advocates for this 'sanding' process to ensure a smooth user experience.

Main themes

• UI testing and polishing
• Accessibility and usability
• CSS and HTML best practices
• Software development and debugging
• User experience and design

What commenters say

• Putting the input inside the label is a better solution to ensure clicks within the label activate the input and eliminate dead zones.
• Implicit labels are supported by most screen readers, but some voice control software may not work correctly with them.
• The lack of care from product managers and executives can lead to poor UI and user experience, as they prioritize shipping features over polishing them.
• Some argue that Apple's UIs are not necessarily better than others, and that the company has produced its share of janky and frustrating interfaces.
• The use of explicit labels is still recommended for accessibility and usability, despite the support for implicit labels in most screen readers.
• Random testing and 'sanding' can be an effective way to discover and fix small issues and edge bugs in software.
• The importance of reserving space for scrollbars and avoiding layout shifts is highlighted as a common issue in web development.
• There is a debate about the trade-offs between clarity and ambiguity in UI design, with some arguing that certain design choices are intentional and others seeing them as frustrating or janky.