Products · Broad category
Modern user interfaces
Raised as a usability problem by 118 people on Hacker News over 16 years (2011–2026), in 119 threads.
This is a broad category rather than one product, so its issues aren't ranked on the home page.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Can't tell what's clickable, so users must guess or hoverUnreviewed
20112026- Buttons no longer look like buttons, so controls are hard to recognise2026-06-04
- Borderless buttons give no indication of what is clickable2026-05-12
- Buttons, tabs and text fields don't look interactive, so users must click to discover them2024-11-06
Unlabeled low-contrast icons make functions impossible to discoverUnreviewed
20112026- Flat icons are hard to recognize and features are hidden in menus2025-05-27
- Low-contrast, unlabeled tiny icons make functions impossible to discover2023-04-11
- Functions hidden behind flat, stylized icons, so users can't see or explore what's available2023-01-27
Low contrast and missing borders make controls hard to readUnreviewed
20112026- Low contrast and missing delineation make distinct interface elements hard to tell apart2023-12-20
- Modern interfaces are undiscoverable and low contrast, making controls hard to find2023-07-12
- Low contrast and missing borders make the interface harder to read and use2021-11-19
Borderless interfaces and tiny scrollbars are hard to useUnreviewed
20112026- Modern scrolling design removes scroll end caps, making it hard to drag or scroll2024-11-11
- Modern UIs without borders and with tiny scrollbars are hard to use2023-07-13
- Modern widgets are oversized, leaving less room for content, and scrollbars are less usable2019-01-20
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Modern UIs are impossible to operate with the keyboard2026-10-27
- Button text gets cut off because widths are hard-coded in CSS2026-09-15
- Modern interfaces are hard to use, so people prefer older UIs2026-06-09
- Buttons no longer look like buttons, so controls are hard to recognise2026-06-04
- Borderless buttons give no indication of what is clickable2026-05-12
- UI and UX across products are getting worse over time despite more research2026-05-03
- Modern UI designs are jarring and non-intuitive, even confusing for experienced users2026-04-17
- Essential features hidden under hamburger menus and long-presses, hard to discover2026-04-13
- Modern interfaces are considered an abomination, with no specific problem named2026-03-09
- Monochrome, whitened UI makes everything harder to see2026-01-17
- Gestures are hidden and buttons keep changing appearance, so people can't tell how things work2026-01-13
- Modern interfaces lack clear affordances and feel laggy compared to older designs2026-01-08
- Input typed during delays gets lost and the UI shifts while loading2025-11-06
- Typed keystrokes get dropped or sent to the wrong window2025-11-05
- Modern GUIs lack consistent keyboard shortcuts, forcing slow click-and-scroll navigation2025-10-18
- Widgets appear, disappear and shift, so users press wrong buttons and must hunt for information2025-10-17
- Modern interfaces have hidden gestures and special cases that users can't transfer or easily learn2025-08-19
- Instant updates force unwanted cognitive load and take away user control2025-07-22
- Features hidden behind shortcuts and toolbars become hard to discover without menus2025-07-06
- Flat icons are hard to recognize and features are hidden in menus2025-05-27
- Scroll bars and tool buttons stay hidden until hovered, so they are hard to find2025-04-22
- Modern desktop interfaces are frustrating to use compared with tiling window managers2025-03-31
- Hard to tell which window is on top, due to soft shadows and borderless windows2025-03-30
- Modern UIs lost the clear convention showing what can be done, making them harder to use2025-03-12
- Modern interfaces have too much white space and scrolling, and are hard to navigate2025-01-26
- Modern scrolling design removes scroll end caps, making it hard to drag or scroll2024-11-11
- Buttons, tabs and text fields don't look interactive, so users must click to discover them2024-11-06
- Modern flat interfaces hide advanced settings and options, removing the discovery they once offered2024-10-30
- Buttons look pressable but the pressable area is much smaller than suggested2024-09-23
- Constant distracting prompts and permission dialogs make the interface unusable2024-09-05
- Modern graphical interfaces have become hard to use2024-07-04
- Modern interfaces hide what is clickable, so things are harder to discover2024-06-27
- Hidden controls make modern interfaces almost impossible for elderly people to use2024-06-27
- Poor modern interfaces frustrate power users and make them give up on efficient workflows2024-06-03
- Can't tell what is clickable without hovering over it2024-06-03
- Removing undo makes it unsafe to experiment and hard to discover how software works2024-05-30
- Keystrokes typed during UI loading get dropped or misapplied, forcing users to wait2024-05-08
- Users click through many steps without noticing that the downloaded file is suspicious2024-03-23
- Unrequested pop-ups and focus changes leave some users totally lost2024-02-04
- Modern computer interfaces are often really hard to use2024-01-09
- Low contrast and missing delineation make distinct interface elements hard to tell apart2023-12-20
- Only shows current task, so users can't tell if they're on the path to their goal2023-12-14
- Settings appear only under hidden conditions, so they are hard to find2023-11-16
- Icons are all black and white, making them harder to tell apart and accessibility suffers2023-10-13
- Designers removing visible buttons and scrollbars, leaving users unable to see what they can do2023-09-11
- Buttons are unclear without hovering; scrollbars are hard to see or use2023-07-30
- Lag on key and touch presses, and overcomplicated controls2023-07-26
- Modern UIs without borders and with tiny scrollbars are hard to use2023-07-13
- Modern interfaces are undiscoverable and low contrast, making controls hard to find2023-07-12
- Can't tell what is clickable in modern interfaces2023-07-11