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What does the interface become when a model is on the other side?

Top voices on design: Jakob Nielsen, Bret Victor, Julie Zhuo, Sundar Pichai, Guillermo Rauch and 9 others.

Some expect the interface to disappear into stated intent; others expect the buttons to stay.

44 dated claims from 14 people · 4 views · most recent 28 Aug 2026

The views

Our reading of what a group of claims have in common, one level above a korrent: a korrent is our reading of what somebody said, a view is our reading of what several korrents share. The claims are printed under it, so the sentence can be checked against them.

Nobody is filed under a view — claims are. A person is named here because a dated claim of theirs sits under it, and somebody whose claims sit under two views appears under both.

  1. Chat is a terrible interface: a blank box has no affordances and leaves the work to the user

    Peter SteinbergerMitchell HashimotoLuke WroblewskiJulie ZhuoJakob NielsenAmelia Wattenberger

  2. The interface is going away: the user states an intent, and agents and generated interfaces do the rest

    Guillermo RauchNaval RavikantJakob NielsenLuke WroblewskiSundar PichaiBret Victor

  3. The buttons survive: chat gets married to controls, because showing what can be done still wins

    Luke WroblewskiJulie ZhuoJakob NielsenBret Victor

  4. The failure is the glass itself: hands, materials and physical feedback are what an interface owes us

    Sundar PichaiSebastiaan de WithCraig ModBret Victor

A viewour reading

Chat is a terrible interface: a blank box has no affordances and leaves the work to the user

12 claims filed here, newest first — each in the words of whoever said it.

The chat box is not the final form of working with models; it is radio shows recorded onto television.

  1. Peter Steinberger Founded PSPDFKit in 2011 and ran it for a decade Like, if you think more globally, we are, we copied Google for agents. You have, like, a prompt, and, and then you have a chat interface. That, to me, very much feels like when we first created television and then people recorded radio shows on television and you saw that on TV. OpenClaw: The Viral AI Agent that Broke the Internet - Peter Steinberger | Lex Fridman Podcast #491youtube.com · 12 Feb 2026 · 1:50:06 into the videoAll korrents from this video
    Their wordsLike, if you think more globally, we are, we copied Google for agents. You have, like, a prompt, and, and then you have a chat interface. That, to me, very much feels like when we first created television and then people recorded radio shows on television and you saw that on TV.

    Where this was said

    Watch from 1:50:06 plays here

    ↗OpenClaw: The Viral AI Agent that Broke the Internet - Peter Steinberger | Lex Fridman Podcast #491youtube.com

    12 Feb 2026 · video · 3h 15m · spoken · official transcript

Show all 12 claims

Chatbot interfaces are the wrong tool for meaningful coding work, because you are mostly hoping the model recalls the right answer and correcting it requires a human in the loop.

  1. Mitchell Hashimoto Creator of Ghostty and co-founder of Superlogical Immediately cease trying to perform meaningful work via a chatbot (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini on the web, etc.). Chatbots have real value and are a daily part of my AI workflow, but their utility in coding is highly limited because you're mostly hoping they come up with the right results based on their prior training, and correcting them involves a human (you) to tell them they're wrong repeatedly. My AI Adoption Journeymitchellh.com · 5 Feb 2026
    Their wordsImmediately cease trying to perform meaningful work via a chatbot (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini on the web, etc.). Chatbots have real value and are a daily part of my AI workflow, but their utility in coding is highly limited because you're mostly hoping they come up with the right results based on their prior training, and correcting them involves a human (you) to tell them they're wrong repeatedly.

    ↗My AI Adoption Journeymitchellh.com

    5 Feb 2026

A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do.

Mental modelAffordances and signifiers

  1. Julie Zhuo Co-founder of Sundial; former vice president of product… The problem with a blank chat box on a blank page is that it violates the first rule of a high-quality user experience: it isn’t obvious what I can do. Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com · 12 May 2025
    Their wordsThe problem with a blank chat box on a blank page is that it violates the first rule of a high-quality user experience: it isn’t obvious what I can do.

    ↗Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com

    12 May 2025

Conversational interfaces get to the first seventy percent quickly and are bad at iteration; the future is chat married to traditional direct-manipulation controls.

  1. Julie Zhuo Co-founder of Sundial; former vice president of product… Conversational UIs are great at quickly getting to the first 70%, but suck at offering easy controls over narrower areas for iteration. Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com · 12 May 2025
    Their wordsConversational UIs are great at quickly getting to the first 70%, but suck at offering easy controls over narrower areas for iteration.

    ↗Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com

    12 May 2025

Half the population in rich countries is not articulate enough in writing to use prompt-driven AI well.

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… For sure, half the population is insufficiently articulate in writing to use ChatGPT well. The Articulation Barrier: Prompt-Driven AI UX Hurts Usabilityjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 26 Jun 2023
    Their wordsFor sure, half the population is insufficiently articulate in writing to use ChatGPT well.

    ↗The Articulation Barrier: Prompt-Driven AI UX Hurts Usabilityjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    26 Jun 2023

Graphical interfaces have superior usability because they show people what can be done rather than requiring them to articulate what they want.

Mental modelAffordances and signifiers

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… GUIs have superior usability because they show people what can be done rather than requiring them to articulate what they want. The Articulation Barrier: Prompt-Driven AI UX Hurts Usabilityjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 26 Jun 2023
    Their wordsGUIs have superior usability because they show people what can be done rather than requiring them to articulate what they want.

    ↗The Articulation Barrier: Prompt-Driven AI UX Hurts Usabilityjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    26 Jun 2023

Today's chat-based AI tools have deep-rooted usability problems and are not the interfaces we will be using in a few years; prompt engineering is a symptom, not a career.

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… I doubt that the current set of generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, Bard, etc., are representative of the UIs we’ll be using in a few years because they have deep-rooted usability problems. AI Is First New UI Paradigm in 60 Yearsjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 22 Jun 2023
    Their wordsI doubt that the current set of generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, Bard, etc., are representative of the UIs we’ll be using in a few years because they have deep-rooted usability problems.

    ↗AI Is First New UI Paradigm in 60 Yearsjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    22 Jun 2023

Chatbots are a terrible interface for large language models, because a text box has no affordances.

Mental modelAffordances and signifiers

  1. Amelia Wattenberger by Designer and engineer; formerly principal research… Hopefully I've convinced you that chatbots are a terrible interface for LLMs. Or, at the very least, that we can add controls, information, and affordances to our chatbot interfaces to make them more usable. Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com · by 1 May 2023
    Their wordsHopefully I've convinced you that chatbots are a terrible interface for LLMs. Or, at the very least, that we can add controls, information, and affordances to our chatbot interfaces to make them more usable.

    ↗Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com

    by 1 May 2023

Good tools make it clear how they should be used and how they should not; a chat box looks the same as a search box, a login form and a credit card field.

Mental modelAffordances and signifiers

  1. Amelia Wattenberger by Designer and engineer; formerly principal research… Good tools make it clear how they should be used. And more importantly, how they should not be used. Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com · by 1 May 2023
    Their wordsGood tools make it clear how they should be used. And more importantly, how they should not be used.

    ↗Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com

    by 1 May 2023

Good tools let the user choose when to switch between implementing and evaluating; a chatbot forces the switch every few seconds and kills flow.

Mental modelDesign is how it works

  1. Amelia Wattenberger by Designer and engineer; formerly principal research… Good tools let the user choose when to switch between implementation and evaluation. When I work with a chatbot, I'm forced to frequently switch between the two modes. Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com · by 1 May 2023
    Their wordsGood tools let the user choose when to switch between implementation and evaluation. When I work with a chatbot, I'm forced to frequently switch between the two modes.

    ↗Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com

    by 1 May 2023

We should want more tools and fewer operated machines; the real AI game changers will have little to do with plain content generation.

  1. Amelia Wattenberger by Designer and engineer; formerly principal research… I want to see more tools and fewer operated machines - we should be embracing our humanity instead of blindly improving efficiency. And that involves using our new AI technology in more deft ways than generating more content for humans to evaluate. I believe the real game changers are going to have very little to do with plain content generation. Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com · by 1 May 2023
    Their wordsI want to see more tools and fewer operated machines - we should be embracing our humanity instead of blindly improving efficiency. And that involves using our new AI technology in more deft ways than generating more content for humans to evaluate. I believe the real game changers are going to have very little to do with plain content generation.

    ↗Why Chatbots Are Not the Futurewattenberger.com

    by 1 May 2023

A viewour reading

The interface is going away: the user states an intent, and agents and generated interfaces do the rest

12 claims filed here, newest first — each in the words of whoever said it.

The middle of the web gets subsumed by agents producing just-in-time UI: the agent is the new browser.

  1. Guillermo Rauch CEO of Vercel; creator of Next.js and Socket.IO The 'in between' is likely to be subsumed by agents producing just-in-time UI. When you need utilitarian content or data, it'll be generated just-in-time for you. Think of the agent as the new browser in this model. @rauchg on Xx.com · 28 Aug 2026
    Their wordsThe 'in between' is likely to be subsumed by agents producing just-in-time UI. When you need utilitarian content or data, it'll be generated just-in-time for you. Think of the agent as the new browser in this model.

    ↗@rauchg on Xx.com

    28 Aug 2026

Show all 12 claims

The winning system of the next decade will be the one that best understands the user's job to be done and shows what it is about to do, not the one with the prettiest buttons or fewest screens.

Mental modelDesign is how it works

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… The winning system of the next decade will not be the one with the most aesthetically pleasing buttons, nor will it be the one with the fewest screens. It will be the system that best understands the human’s “job to be done,” autonomously selects the right tools on their behalf, clearly shows the user what is about to happen, and gracefully recovers when the user’s context is incomplete or ambiguous. Intent by Discovery: Designing the AI User Experiencejakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 26 Mar 2026
    Their wordsThe winning system of the next decade will not be the one with the most aesthetically pleasing buttons, nor will it be the one with the fewest screens. It will be the system that best understands the human’s “job to be done,” autonomously selects the right tools on their behalf, clearly shows the user what is about to happen, and gracefully recovers when the user’s context is incomplete or ambiguous.

    ↗Intent by Discovery: Designing the AI User Experiencejakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    26 Mar 2026

When applications can generate capabilities on demand, a product's features are what users ask for in the next session, not what shipped in the last release.

  1. Luke Wroblewski Product designer and entrepreneur When applications can generate capabilities on demand, the definition of "what this product does" becomes more fluid. Features aren't just what shipped in the last release, they're also what users will ask for in the next session. AI Enables As-Needed Software Featureslukew.com · 14 Jan 2026
    Their wordsWhen applications can generate capabilities on demand, the definition of "what this product does" becomes more fluid. Features aren't just what shipped in the last release, they're also what users will ask for in the next session.

    ↗AI Enables As-Needed Software Featureslukew.com

    14 Jan 2026

Web forms make people adapt to databases; AI flips this so people can provide information in any form they like, and no form is the best kind of web form design.

Mental modelConservation of complexity

  1. Luke Wroblewski Product designer and entrepreneur With Web forms, the burden is on people to adapt to databases. Today's AI models, however, can flip this requirement. That is, they allow people to provide information in whatever form they like and use AI do the work necessary to put that information into the right structure for a database. Unstructured Input in AI Apps Instead of Web Formslukew.com · 9 Sept 2025
    Their wordsWith Web forms, the burden is on people to adapt to databases. Today's AI models, however, can flip this requirement. That is, they allow people to provide information in whatever form they like and use AI do the work necessary to put that information into the right structure for a database.

    ↗Unstructured Input in AI Apps Instead of Web Formslukew.com

    9 Sept 2025

Models that can code should be allowed to write their own interfaces, instead of being boxed into the UI humans give them.

  1. Sundar Pichai CEO of Google and Alphabet Today, we are constraining the models, the models can't quite express themselves in terms of the UI to people. But if you think about it, we've kind of boxed them in that way, but given these models can code, they should be able to write the best interfaces to express their ideas over time. Sundar Pichai: CEO of Google and Alphabet | Lex Fridman Podcast #471youtube.com · 5 Jun 2025 · 0:43:02 into the videoAll korrents from this video
    Their wordsToday, we are constraining the models, the models can't quite express themselves in terms of the UI to people. But if you think about it, we've kind of boxed them in that way, but given these models can code, they should be able to write the best interfaces to express their ideas over time.

    Where this was said

    Watch from 0:43:02 plays here

    ↗Sundar Pichai: CEO of Google and Alphabet | Lex Fridman Podcast #471youtube.com

    5 Jun 2025 · video · 2h 12m · spoken · official transcript

UX does not die when the interface disappears; it becomes the design of policies, protocols and orchestration of what AI does on the user's behalf.

Mental modelDesign is how it works

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… So no, UX doesn’t die; it metamorphoses. We’ll still craft humane experiences, but increasingly through policies, protocols, and orchestrations rather than panels and palettes. No More User Interface?jakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 8 May 2025
    Their wordsSo no, UX doesn’t die; it metamorphoses. We’ll still craft humane experiences, but increasingly through policies, protocols, and orchestrations rather than panels and palettes.

    ↗No More User Interface?jakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    8 May 2025

AI agents will end traditional UI design and accessibility, because users will stop visiting websites and act only through their agent.

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… Once, humans navigated the web manually. In the future, AI agents will act on our behalf, browsing, clicking, and deciding. This shift marks the end of traditional UI design and accessibility, ushering in a future where agents are the primary users of digital services. Hello AI Agents: Goodbye UI Design, RIP Accessibilityjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 21 Feb 2025
    Their wordsOnce, humans navigated the web manually. In the future, AI agents will act on our behalf, browsing, clicking, and deciding. This shift marks the end of traditional UI design and accessibility, ushering in a future where agents are the primary users of digital services.

    ↗Hello AI Agents: Goodbye UI Design, RIP Accessibilityjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    21 Feb 2025

Accessibility has failed as a way to make computers usable for disabled users, after thirty years of trying.

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… Accessibility has failed as a way to make computers usable for disabled users. My metrics for usable design are the same whether the user is disabled or not: whether it’s easy to learn the system, whether productivity is high when performing tasks, and whether the design is pleasant — even enjoyable — to use. Accessibility Has Failed: Try Generative UI = Individualized UXjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 29 Feb 2024
    Their wordsAccessibility has failed as a way to make computers usable for disabled users. My metrics for usable design are the same whether the user is disabled or not: whether it’s easy to learn the system, whether productivity is high when performing tasks, and whether the design is pleasant — even enjoyable — to use.

    ↗Accessibility Has Failed: Try Generative UI = Individualized UXjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    29 Feb 2024

Within about five years the user interface will be generated afresh each time a user opens an app, so different users will get drastically different designs.

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… I foresee a much more radical approach to generative UI to emerge shortly — maybe in 5 years or so. In this second-generation generative UI, the user interface is generated afresh every time the user accesses the app. Most important, this means that different users will get drastically different designs. Accessibility Has Failed: Try Generative UI = Individualized UXjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 29 Feb 2024
    Their wordsI foresee a much more radical approach to generative UI to emerge shortly — maybe in 5 years or so. In this second-generation generative UI, the user interface is generated afresh every time the user accesses the app. Most important, this means that different users will get drastically different designs.

    ↗Accessibility Has Failed: Try Generative UI = Individualized UXjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    29 Feb 2024

AI is the first new user-interface paradigm in sixty years: intent-based outcome specification, where the user says what outcome they want rather than how to get it.

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… The third UI paradigm, represented by current generative AI, is intent-based outcome specification. The user tells the computer the desired result but does not specify how this outcome should be accomplished, such as the steps to be executed. Compared to traditional command-based interaction design, this completely reverses the locus of control. AI Is First New UI Paradigm in 60 Yearsjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 22 Jun 2023
    Their wordsThe third UI paradigm, represented by current generative AI, is intent-based outcome specification. The user tells the computer the desired result but does not specify how this outcome should be accomplished, such as the steps to be executed. Compared to traditional command-based interaction design, this completely reverses the locus of control.

    ↗AI Is First New UI Paradigm in 60 Yearsjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    22 Jun 2023

For most software, interactivity is a curse for users and a crutch for designers.

Filed here becauseFrom 2006, seventeen years before the model: it argued that most software should ask less of the user and show more, which is the shape this view has taken since.

  1. Bret Victor Interface designer and researcher For a majority subset of software, called “information software,” I argue that interactivity is actually a curse for users and a crutch for designers, and users’ goals can be better satisfied through other means. Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interfaceworrydream.com · 15 Mar 2006
    Their wordsFor a majority subset of software, called “information software,” I argue that interactivity is actually a curse for users and a crutch for designers, and users’ goals can be better satisfied through other means.

    ↗Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interfaceworrydream.com

    15 Mar 2006

A viewour reading

The buttons survive: chat gets married to controls, because showing what can be done still wins

6 claims filed here, newest first — each in the words of whoever said it.

Users split into two camps on seeing an agent's work, and the split has not faded as trust builds, so an interface has to balance both.

  1. Luke Wroblewski Product designer and entrepreneur I initially assumed this was a temporary divide. New users tend to watch closely and check the system's progress, but as trust builds, that scrutiny fades and monitoring starts to feel like a chore. Yet it still seems like there's two camps (for now). Showing the Work of Agents in UIlukew.com · 17 Feb 2026
    Their wordsI initially assumed this was a temporary divide. New users tend to watch closely and check the system's progress, but as trust builds, that scrutiny fades and monitoring starts to feel like a chore. Yet it still seems like there's two camps (for now).

    ↗Showing the Work of Agents in UIlukew.com

    17 Feb 2026

Show all 6 claims

Chat is not AI's final form: agent-based applications increasingly outperform chat-only ones, and many different interfaces for AI will emerge.

  1. Luke Wroblewski Product designer and entrepreneur It's also worth noting that chat isn't the only way to integrate AI in software products and increasingly agent-based applications outperform chat-only solutions. So expect things to keep changing. Chat is: the Future or a Terrible UIlukew.com · 28 Aug 2025
    Their wordsIt's also worth noting that chat isn't the only way to integrate AI in software products and increasingly agent-based applications outperform chat-only solutions. So expect things to keep changing.

    ↗Chat is: the Future or a Terrible UIlukew.com

    28 Aug 2025

The most powerful rule for an exceptional interface is that it feels obvious to use; novelty, minimalism and simplicity are means to that, not the end.

Mental modelsDesign is how it works, Conventions (Jakob's law)

Filed here becauseAlso filed under what makes a design good; here because obviousness is the case this view makes for keeping the buttons.

  1. Julie Zhuo Co-founder of Sundial; former vice president of product… Sometimes designers will go to great lengths to make a user interface novel, or minimal, or simple. This is the wrong goal. Novelty, minimalism or simplicity are good heuristics for obviousness, but do not mistake the means for the end. Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com · 12 May 2025
    Their wordsSometimes designers will go to great lengths to make a user interface novel, or minimal, or simple. This is the wrong goal. Novelty, minimalism or simplicity are good heuristics for obviousness, but do not mistake the means for the end.

    ↗Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com

    12 May 2025

ChatGPT exploded because of its obvious chat interface, not its technology, which had launched earlier in a different wrapper that few noticed.

Mental modelAffordances and signifiers

  1. Julie Zhuo Co-founder of Sundial; former vice president of product… The technology powering ChatGPT had already launched prior to November 30th, 2022. It was just wrapped in a different interface. Very few people paid attention. Why did ChatGPT explode in popularity? Because of its obvious chat interface, which everyone intuitively already knew how to use it. Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com · 12 May 2025
    Their wordsThe technology powering ChatGPT had already launched prior to November 30th, 2022. It was just wrapped in a different interface. Very few people paid attention. Why did ChatGPT explode in popularity? Because of its obvious chat interface, which everyone intuitively already knew how to use it.

    ↗Conversational Interfaces: the Good, the Ugly & the Billion-Dollar Opportunitylg.substack.com

    12 May 2025

The graphical user interface will survive AI in a less dominant role: future AI systems will have hybrid interfaces that combine intent and command.

  1. Jakob Nielsen Usability pioneer; co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group… Thus, the 2nd UI paradigm will survive, albeit in a less dominant role. Future AI systems will likely have a hybrid user interface that combines elements of both intent-based and command-based interfaces while still retaining many GUI elements. AI Is First New UI Paradigm in 60 Yearsjakobnielsenphd.substack.com · 22 Jun 2023
    Their wordsThus, the 2nd UI paradigm will survive, albeit in a less dominant role. Future AI systems will likely have a hybrid user interface that combines elements of both intent-based and command-based interfaces while still retaining many GUI elements.

    ↗AI Is First New UI Paradigm in 60 Yearsjakobnielsenphd.substack.com

    22 Jun 2023

Information software design is graphic design: a software designer who decides what the user will see is doing graphic design whether she realizes it or not.

  1. Bret Victor Interface designer and researcher When the software designer defines the visual representation of her program, when she describes the pictures that the user will interpret, she is doing graphic design, whether she realizes this or not. Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interfaceworrydream.com · 15 Mar 2006
    Their wordsWhen the software designer defines the visual representation of her program, when she describes the pictures that the user will interpret, she is doing graphic design, whether she realizes this or not.

    ↗Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interfaceworrydream.com

    15 Mar 2006

A viewour reading

The failure is the glass itself: hands, materials and physical feedback are what an interface owes us

9 claims filed here, newest first — each in the words of whoever said it.

AR is the next paradigm shift in computing, the way the GUI, multi-touch and voice were.

  1. Sundar Pichai CEO of Google and Alphabet The best innovations in computing have come through a paradigm IO change, right? When with GUI, and then with a graphical user interface, and then with multi-touch in the context of mobile voice later on. Similarly, I feel like AR is that next paradigm. Sundar Pichai: CEO of Google and Alphabet | Lex Fridman Podcast #471youtube.com · 5 Jun 2025 · 1:38:09 into the videoAll korrents from this video
    Their wordsThe best innovations in computing have come through a paradigm IO change, right? When with GUI, and then with a graphical user interface, and then with multi-touch in the context of mobile voice later on. Similarly, I feel like AR is that next paradigm.

    Where this was said

    Watch from 1:38:09 plays here

    ↗Sundar Pichai: CEO of Google and Alphabet | Lex Fridman Podcast #471youtube.com

    5 Jun 2025 · video · 2h 12m · spoken · official transcript

Show all 9 claims

Skeuomorphism never meant gloss and gradients; it meant easing users from what they were used to into what things had become.

  1. Sebastiaan de With Designer and co-founder of Lux, makers of Halide It actually means that to make it easier for users to transition from something they were used to — in this case, phones typically being slabs with a grid of buttons on them — to what things had become — phones were all-screen, so they could show any kind of button or interface imaginable. Physicality: the new age of UIlux.camera · 3 Jun 2025
    Their wordsIt actually means that to make it easier for users to transition from something they were used to — in this case, phones typically being slabs with a grid of buttons on them — to what things had become — phones were all-screen, so they could show any kind of button or interface imaginable.

    ↗Physicality: the new age of UIlux.camera

    3 Jun 2025

Interfaces are returning to skeuomorphism, but as behaviour rather than lacquer: clear, graphic elements that act like materials from the real world.

Mental modelDesign is how it works

  1. Sebastiaan de With Designer and co-founder of Lux, makers of Halide We’ve come back, in a sense, to skeuomorphic interfaces — but this time not with a lacquer resembling a material. Instead, the interface is clear, graphic and behaves like things we know from the real world, or might exist in the world. This is what the new skeuomorphism is. It, too, is physicality. Physicality: the new age of UIlux.camera · 3 Jun 2025
    Their wordsWe’ve come back, in a sense, to skeuomorphic interfaces — but this time not with a lacquer resembling a material. Instead, the interface is clear, graphic and behaves like things we know from the real world, or might exist in the world. This is what the new skeuomorphism is. It, too, is physicality.

    ↗Physicality: the new age of UIlux.camera

    3 Jun 2025

Opaque, inert, obstructive interface elements will become as niche as the full-screen command line once interfaces are infused with dynamic materials.

  1. Sebastiaan de With Designer and co-founder of Lux, makers of Halide Opaque, inert and obstructive elements might occupy the same place as full-screen command line interfaces — a powerful niche UI that was a marker in history, passed on by the windowed environment of the multi-tasking, graphical user interface revolution. Physicality: the new age of UIlux.camera · 3 Jun 2025
    Their wordsOpaque, inert and obstructive elements might occupy the same place as full-screen command line interfaces — a powerful niche UI that was a marker in history, passed on by the windowed environment of the multi-tasking, graphical user interface revolution.

    ↗Physicality: the new age of UIlux.camera

    3 Jun 2025

The best touch interfaces are physical buttons; on a screen, to feel tactile is to move without latency.

Mental modelSpeed is a feature

  1. Craig Mod Writer, photographer and software maker based in Japan Excellent touch interfaces feel tactile. The best “touch interfaces,” in my opinion, are actual buttons, things with physicality, haptics. But on a screen, to feel tactile is to move without latency. Fast Software, the Best Softwarecraigmod.com · 1 Jul 2019
    Their wordsExcellent touch interfaces feel tactile. The best “touch interfaces,” in my opinion, are actual buttons, things with physicality, haptics. But on a screen, to feel tactile is to move without latency.

    ↗Fast Software, the Best Softwarecraigmod.com

    1 Jul 2019

Touchscreens are pictures under glass, a transitional technology; calling them the future of interaction is like calling black-and-white the future of photography.

  1. Bret Victor Interface designer and researcher To me, claiming that Pictures Under Glass is the future of interaction is like claiming that black-and-white is the future of photography. It's obviously a transitional technology. And the sooner we transition, the better. A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com · 8 Nov 2011
    Their wordsTo me, claiming that Pictures Under Glass is the future of interaction is like claiming that black-and-white is the future of photography. It's obviously a transitional technology. And the sooner we transition, the better.

    ↗A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com

    8 Nov 2011

Hands feel things and hands manipulate things, and most visions of future interfaces ignore both.

  1. Bret Victor Interface designer and researcher Hands do two things. They are two utterly amazing things, and you rely on them every moment of the day, and most Future Interaction Concepts completely ignore both of them. A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com · 8 Nov 2011
    Their wordsHands do two things. They are two utterly amazing things, and you rely on them every moment of the day, and most Future Interaction Concepts completely ignore both of them.

    ↗A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com

    8 Nov 2011

The future of interaction is a choice, not something that happens to us: people choose which visions to pursue and which research to fund.

  1. Bret Victor Interface designer and researcher The most important thing to realize about the future is that it's a choice. People choose which visions to pursue, people choose which research gets funded, people choose how they will spend their careers. A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com · 8 Nov 2011
    Their wordsThe most important thing to realize about the future is that it's a choice. People choose which visions to pursue, people choose which research gets funded, people choose how they will spend their careers.

    ↗A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com

    8 Nov 2011

With an entire body at our command, the future of interaction should not be a single finger.

  1. Bret Victor Interface designer and researcher With an entire body at your command, do you seriously think the Future Of Interaction should be a single finger? A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com · 8 Nov 2011
    Their wordsWith an entire body at your command, do you seriously think the Future Of Interaction should be a single finger?

    ↗A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Designworrydream.com

    8 Nov 2011

Read, and under none of the views

On the topic, but saying something the views above do not cover.

Building a command-line interface is almost always a good idea; building a terminal UI almost never is

  1. Thomas Ptacek Security engineer; founder of Matasano Security and Latacora CLIs have purposes for which they’re irreplaceable. Building a CLI is almost always a good idea. Building a TUI almost never is. Stop Making TUIssockpuppet.org · 20 Aug 2026
    Their wordsCLIs have purposes for which they’re irreplaceable. Building a CLI is almost always a good idea. Building a TUI almost never is.

    ↗Stop Making TUIssockpuppet.org

    20 Aug 2026

Terminal interfaces exist out of necessity, not because they are the right design

  1. Thomas Ptacek Security engineer; founder of Matasano Security and Latacora We build terminal interfaces because we have to, not because we should. Stop Making TUIssockpuppet.org · 20 Aug 2026
    Their wordsWe build terminal interfaces because we have to, not because we should.

    ↗Stop Making TUIssockpuppet.org

    20 Aug 2026

  2. David Heinemeier Hansson Creator of Ruby on Rails, CTO of 37signals In 1976, most computers didn't even have a mouse. In 2024, most vi-successor users don't even need one when programming. Wonderful viworld.hey.com · 17 Sept 2024All korrents from this piece
    Their wordsIn 1976, most computers didn't even have a mouse. In 2024, most vi-successor users don't even need one when programming.

    ↗Wonderful viworld.hey.com

    17 Sept 2024

Production systems need a command-line interface, not a user interface running on the server

  1. Thomas Ptacek Security engineer; founder of Matasano Security and Latacora The problem with this argument is that you probably don’t need a user interface on prod. You need a command line interface on prod that a user interface on your Macbook can drive. Stop Making TUIssockpuppet.org · 20 Aug 2026
    Their wordsThe problem with this argument is that you probably don’t need a user interface on prod. You need a command line interface on prod that a user interface on your Macbook can drive.

    ↗Stop Making TUIssockpuppet.org

    20 Aug 2026

Minimizing network round trips is essential to a good user experience, because bandwidth keeps improving and latency will not.

Mental modelsBottlenecks, Speed is a feature

  1. Guillermo Rauch CEO of Vercel; creator of Next.js and Socket.IO The bandwidth capacity of your users' connections might improve noticeably, as it steadily has, but the latency needle won't move much at all. This means that minimizing the number of roundtrips you make to display information on page is essential to great user experience and responsiveness. 7 principles of rich web applicationsrauchg.com · 4 Nov 2014
    Their wordsThe bandwidth capacity of your users' connections might improve noticeably, as it steadily has, but the latency needle won't move much at all. This means that minimizing the number of roundtrips you make to display information on page is essential to great user experience and responsiveness.

    ↗7 principles of rich web applicationsrauchg.com

    4 Nov 2014

JavaScript should act immediately on user input to mask network latency, which should remove most spinners and loading messages.

Mental modelSpeed is a feature

  1. Guillermo Rauch CEO of Vercel; creator of Next.js and Socket.IO JavaScript allows us to mask network latency altogether. Applying this as a design principle should even remove most spinners or “loading” messages from your applications. 7 principles of rich web applicationsrauchg.com · 4 Nov 2014
    Their wordsJavaScript allows us to mask network latency altogether. Applying this as a design principle should even remove most spinners or “loading” messages from your applications.

    ↗7 principles of rich web applicationsrauchg.com

    4 Nov 2014

Where the claims collide

Asserted relations, each with the curator’s reason — never computed, because similarity cannot tell agreement from opposition.

All user interfaces will converge on the same shape: chat and gestures in, chat and video out.

held by Naval Ravikant

These cannot both be true

Chat is not AI's final form: agent-based applications increasingly outperform chat-only ones, and many different interfaces for AI will emerge.

held by Luke Wroblewski

Ravikant expects every interface to converge on chat and gestures in, chat and video out. Wroblewski says chat is not AI’s final form, that agent-based applications already outperform chat-only ones, and that many different interfaces will emerge. Convergence on one shape and proliferation into many are the same prediction with the sign flipped.

Chatbots are a terrible interface for large language models, because a text box has no affordances.

held by Amelia Wattenberger

These cannot both be true

All user interfaces will converge on the same shape: chat and gestures in, chat and video out.

held by Naval Ravikant

Wattenberger’s objection is structural: a text box has no affordances, so it cannot tell anyone what it can do. Ravikant expects that box to become the shape of every interface. If the objection holds, the convergence is a convergence on the worst available design.

ChatGPT exploded because of its obvious chat interface, not its technology, which had launched earlier in a different wrapper that few noticed.

held by Julie Zhuo

These pull against each other

A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do.

held by Julie Zhuo

Zhuo holds both, and the pair is more interesting than either. ChatGPT broke through on the obviousness of its chat interface, and a blank chat box violates the first rule of a good user experience by hiding what you can do. The resolution she implies — that chat was obvious in 2022 precisely because nothing else was on offer — is not stated in either claim.

AI agents will end traditional UI design and accessibility, because users will stop visiting websites and act only through their agent.

held by Jakob Nielsen

These pull against each other

The graphical user interface will survive AI in a less dominant role: future AI systems will have hybrid interfaces that combine intent and command.

held by Jakob Nielsen

Nielsen says agents end traditional UI design because users will stop visiting websites, and also that the graphical interface survives in a reduced, hybrid role. Ending and surviving-in-reduced-form are compatible as a prediction and incompatible as advice to anyone deciding whether to keep employing interface designers.

JavaScript should act immediately on user input to mask network latency, which should remove most spinners and loading messages.

held by Guillermo Rauch

These pull against each other

For most software, interactivity is a curse for users and a crutch for designers.

held by Bret Victor

Victor says that for most software interactivity is a curse for users and a crutch for designers, and that the goal is to show rather than to ask. Rauch says JavaScript should act immediately on user input to mask network latency. Both want the user waiting less; one gets there by removing the interaction and the other by making it instantaneous.

Touchscreens are pictures under glass, a transitional technology; calling them the future of interaction is like calling black-and-white the future of photography.

held by Bret Victor

These pull against each other

All user interfaces will converge on the same shape: chat and gestures in, chat and video out.

held by Naval Ravikant

Victor calls the touchscreen a transitional technology and says treating pictures under glass as the future of interaction is like calling black-and-white the future of photography. Ravikant expects convergence on chat and gestures in, chat and video out — which is pictures under glass with a microphone. The disagreement is about whether the body gets to come back.

On this topic, not yet placed

Matched by wording, not yet read into a view. The archive grows on its own, so this is where new claims wait for somebody to read them.

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