Hidden interface controls that affect usability

Hidden and Ambiguous Controls

• Many comments focus on 2‑state controls whose current state is unclear: switches where the label might mean “current state” or “action,” buttons like “Music Off,” or microphone icons with or without a slash.
• Color-only state (green/red, or subtle shades of grey) is criticized as confusing and exclusionary for color‑blind users.
• Several real-world examples mirror the problem: a restroom lock button with red/green indicators but no legend; train ticket machines whose “validate now” toggle is high‑stakes but unclear.
• Suggested fixes: always use verbs for actions (“Turn On”), text labels or tooltips for icons, disable options instead of hiding them, and make state plainly visible.

Scrollbars and File Paths

• Hidden or ultra‑thin scrollbars are widely disliked: hard to grab with a mouse, unusable on touchscreens, and they hide the fact that more content exists (including horizontal overflow).
• Users share browser and OS tweaks to always show or widen scrollbars, especially in Firefox and GNOME; many want PgUp/PgDn and classic scrollbar paging behavior preserved.
• Similarly, hiding filesystem paths (macOS Finder, SharePoint, browsers) is seen as hostile to power users: it makes it hard to understand where files live or to reason about multiple copies.
• Some argue this stems from usability testing and A/B experiments optimized for short‑term “new user success,” at the expense of long‑term capability and discoverability.

Gestures, Phones, and Lock‑In

• Removal of physical home buttons and reliance on edge swipes are cited as major regressions, especially for older or infrequent users; people report having to rebuy older devices with home buttons for relatives.
• There’s debate over whether gesture‑heavy interfaces are an intentional psychological lock‑in (once you’ve learned a device’s quirks, switching is painful) or just fashion and minimalism.
• Some users like “knowledge in the head”: once gestures are internalized, full‑screen content and fewer visible controls feel powerful and uncluttered, akin to Vim.
• Others stress cross‑app inconsistency (even within first‑party apps) and point out that hidden gestures are fundamentally undiscoverable without prior instruction.

Cars and Physical Controls

• Car UIs are a recurring pain point: deeply nested touch menus for audio or climate, source‑specific sound settings, or critical operations (locking doors, wipers, key access) hidden behind non‑obvious interactions.
• Commenters praise older cars where all driving‑relevant controls are visible, tactile, and operable without looking, and criticize modern touchscreens as cost‑driven and unsafe.
• There’s acknowledgement that physical controls are more expensive and that regulations (e.g., mandatory backup cameras) push screens, but also hope as some safety bodies begin to require physical buttons for core functions.

Minimalism, Fashion, and Designer Incentives

• Several see current trends as “form over function”: hiding menus, scrollbars, and labels to look clean, driven by Dribbble‑style aesthetics and designers imported from print/branding.
• Others counter that many users genuinely prefer less visual noise, and modern devices have developed a shared “gesture language” that can be assumed.
• Hidden features are also tied to business incentives: dark patterns (cookie banners, opt‑out toggles), mobile‑first ad models, and designs that quietly reduce user control.

Hover, Menus, and Discoverability

• Examples like Discord, Notion, IDEs, and browsers hiding buttons until hover are widely criticized, especially when the cleared space isn’t reused for content.
• Traditional desktop patterns get praise: visible menus with disabled (not removed) items, keyboard shortcuts shown in menus and tooltips, and “fast path vs. main path” design where power features are both discoverable and shortcuttable.
• Some point to alternative paradigms (e.g., pie menus, edge‑triggered overlays) as ways to combine self‑revelation and expert speed, but note they’re rarely adopted.

Accessibility, Generations, and Learning Curves

• Several comments link hidden controls directly to accessibility problems for elderly, disabled, or non‑technical users, who may not complain but quietly fail to discover features.
• Others argue that any powerful tool requires some learning, and that people are capable of adapting, just as they do with cars.
• There is broad agreement that defaults and documentation matter: beginner‑friendly modes, visible controls by default, and clear help go further than purely aesthetic minimalism.