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From: Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Strange user interface design
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:49:30 +0800
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Warning - slight rant content.

I've been coming across multiple instances where a program displays what 
appears to be a prompt screen, e.g. "Choose between cash or card." only 
to immediately display some other screen. In the example given, on a 
self-checkout device, if the only option is card, then it goes 
immediately to the screen telling me to use my card.

I thought this practice might reflect the Android development 
environment, but I see it (as in my example) on machines that are 
running some version of Windows.

I don't understand this philosophy. It's bad enough that user interface 
seems to have degenerated to the point where there is no feedback as to 
whether one has managed to select something, other than an eventual 
response which sometimes takes a minute (yes, that's a separate gripe). 
But these days one doesn't even know whether a selection is required.

I've even tried to select something only to select something completely 
different, and unwanted, on the subsequent screen.

Every paragraph above, except the first, starts with 'I'. Hmmm....

Sylvia.