Interface bloat
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{{original research|date=November 2024}}
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{{Short description|Overload of elements on an interface}}
File:Interface Bloat Example.png
Interface bloat is a phenomenon in software design where an interface incorporates too many (often unnecessary) operations or elements, causing issues such as difficulty navigating and usability.{{Cite journal |last1=Akiki |first1=Pierre |last2=Bandara |first2=Arosha |last3=Yu |first3=Yijun |name-list-style=and |date=24–27 June 2013 |title=The Open University's repository of research publications regarding minimizing the bloat in enterprise applications Conference Item |journal=Fifth ACM SIGCHI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems |location=London, UK |publication-place=London, UK |s2cid=2935087 }}
Definition
While the term bloat can refer to a variety of terms in software design,{{Cite book |last1=Kaufman |first1=Leah |last2=Weed |first2=Brad |chapter=Too much of a good thing?: Identifying and resolving bloat in the user interface |date=1998-04-01 |title=CHI 98 Conference Summary on Human Factors in Computing Systems |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/286498.286693 |series=CHI '98 |location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=207–208 |doi=10.1145/286498.286693 |isbn=978-1-58113-028-7}} Interface bloat refers to the phenomenon where the user interface (UI) becomes unnecessarily complex and overloaded with features, options, or elements that can overwhelm users.{{Cite book |last1=McGrenere |first1=Joanna |url=https://graphicsinterface.org/proceedings/gi2000/ |title=Graphics Interface |last2=Moore |first2=Gale |date=15–17 April 2000 |publisher=Canadian Human-Computer Communications Society |isbn=0-9695338-9-6 |location=Montréal, Québec, Canada |pages=187–196 |access-date=9 November 2024}} This often leads to a cluttered experience, decreased usability, and increased difficulty for users to accomplish their tasks efficiently.{{Cite web |title=Do Computers Have to Be Hard to Use? |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/05/circuits/articles/28badd.html |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=archive.nytimes.com}} Interface bloat can arise from various sources, including the addition of excessive functionality without proper consideration of user needs, the merging of disparate features, or pressure to include numerous options to cater to a broader audience.