The Best Interface Is No Interface
by Golden Krishna · first published 2015
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical, opinionated take on interface design that argues for removing unnecessary screens and controls; a fun, quick read for designers and anyone thinking about how technology gets in the way.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Our love affair with the digital interface is out of control. We've embraced it in the boardroom, the bedroom, and the bathroom. Screens have taken over our lives. Most people spend over eight hours a day staring at a screen, and some "technological innovators" are hoping to grab even more of your eyeball time. You have screens in your pocket, in your car, on your appliances, and maybe even on your face. Average smartphone users check their phones 150 times a day, responding to the addictive buzz of Facebook or emails or Twitter. Are you sick? There's an app for that! Need to pray? There
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…much has changed in that world it seems. "One Plus One Equals Three: A Masterclass in Creative Thinking" - David Trott - Pithy treatment of design thinking from a writer with a staccato style. "The Best Interface Is No Interface" - Golden Krishna - The best book on design out there IMO. Make it invisible. Plus the dude's name is fucking GOLDEN KRISHNA. Winner.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗Generally: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn The Apology of Socrates, Plato Professionally: The Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas The Best Interface is No Interface, Golden Krishna
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗Want an actually fascinating read about the future of interface design? Read the best interface is no interface, by Golden Krishna. It's so good.
on “Show HN: Interface Lovers – Interviews with designers” ↗…positive no 2. Black box thinking 3. Difficult conversations 4. Transcending loss 5. Braving the wilderness 6. Motherless daughters 7. The happy medium 8. Deep work 9. The golden sayings of Epictetus 10. The best interface is no interface 11. 101 essays that will change the way you think 12. Leaders eat last Will keep adding more as I remember. Hope this helps :)
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2017?” ↗Reminds me of one of my favorite UI books: "The best interface is no interface"
on “Writing Less Code” ↗I enjoyed "The best interface is no interface" -- though its more of a fun read: http://www.nointerface.com/book/
on “Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?” ↗Apple should follow and ditch the Touch Bar. Also, the excellent The Best Interface is No Interface book [0] talks quite a bit about unnecessary touch screen controls in cars and related topics. [0] http://www.nointerface.com/book/
on “Honda bucks industry trend by removing touchscreen controls” ↗In a similar vein, Don't Make Me Think about simple website usability is a good place to start. I also like The Best Interface Is No Interface, although the original article was sufficient.
on “Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?” ↗…http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/00... - Good To Great, Jim Collins (2001) Next on my reading list (and I'm really excited about it): http://www.amazon.com/Best-Interface-No-brilliant-technology... - The Best Interface is No Interface, Golden Krishna (2015)
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗Long time ago I read the book "The Best Interface is No Interface" by Golden Krishna. I wanted to start the discussion on how do we see Augmented Reality being part of our day-to-day... We see these ridiculous headsets like Microsoft Hololens and I wonder if you're…
on “The Best Interface Is No Interface” ↗> Someone once said the best interface is no interface. Was this from an article by Golden Krishna, later turned into a book by the same title? Archived article (or, how to open your car door in 13 steps): https://web.archive.org/web/20120831083217/http://www.cooper...…
on “New(ish) command line tools” ↗Similar ideas discussed in The Best Interface is No Interface: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Interface-No-brilliant-technolog... I like the underlying concept a lot (roughly, use technology to accomplish minimal-interaction user experiences). Practically, however,…
on “No Design is the Best Design” ↗A bit out of left field: The Best Interface Is No Interface. The blog post is good enough; no need to read the whole book I think Don't Make Me Think is old but still applicable. Sweat The Small Stuff by Rory Sutherland is a talk worth watching.
on “Ask HN: Books or blogs on contemporary interface philosophy?” ↗