If you can believe it, most of the web was like this, a long time ago. People who didn’t quite know what they were doing put up a website, wrote stuff, and linked to other websites. Even back then we acknowledged that most pages were kinda ugly but nobody cared. Content always came first. Then some design elitists came up with the brand “Web 2.0” and sold everyone on the idea that form should overrule function. Those single-page marketing sites that tell you all about how great a particular thing is with proclamations and testimonials, etc, without managing to tell you anything about what it actually is seems to be the ultimate conclusion of the trend.
Probably my favorite part of this site is the why this site looks crappy page and features a fun anecdote about an angry user who did not know what a landline phone is.
I have read through a few pages of the website to see if this is a tongue in cheek joke but it seems genuine and I have to admit I would have likely considered using it a few years ago as I prefer its interface to what we ended up with.
Yes, I think this guy is totally on the level. It’s his hobby, it interests him, and people use it. It’s actually quite polished, considering, and it’s clear he takes pride in his work. And as a point-of-sale app you can do a lot worse for actual money out.
The UI is too noisy. You want to give the operator just the information they need. Local stores usually just display the product description, the price, and a symbol for categories (eg taxable or food stamps). Tax and total displayed prominently in one place on the bottom. They don’t display rate since most people know it.
The local systems have only this. That’s where I diverge where I prefer extra information and options allowed using some command or key press. If you need it, you can get to it. If you don’t (99% of time), you don’t even see what you don’t need.
Someone on HN version said definitely read the Why for the whole experience. I encourage everyone to check it out. It’s awesome.
Agreed, this is the best thing on the internet I’ve read in a long time.
His descriptions of exposure to user feedback and handling feature requests are hilarious. I’d love to hang out with him in real life some time.
If you can believe it, most of the web was like this, a long time ago. People who didn’t quite know what they were doing put up a website, wrote stuff, and linked to other websites. Even back then we acknowledged that most pages were kinda ugly but nobody cared. Content always came first. Then some design elitists came up with the brand “Web 2.0” and sold everyone on the idea that form should overrule function. Those single-page marketing sites that tell you all about how great a particular thing is with proclamations and testimonials, etc, without managing to tell you anything about what it actually is seems to be the ultimate conclusion of the trend.
Probably my favorite part of this site is the why this site looks crappy page and features a fun anecdote about an angry user who did not know what a landline phone is.
Aside: I will never get used to the “POS” initialism meaning anything other than “piece of shit”.
I also have the problem with piece of crap.
You bet retail workers say it all the time, too. Probably slip out in front of bosses or customers on occasion.
I have read through a few pages of the website to see if this is a tongue in cheek joke but it seems genuine and I have to admit I would have likely considered using it a few years ago as I prefer its interface to what we ended up with.
Yes, I think this guy is totally on the level. It’s his hobby, it interests him, and people use it. It’s actually quite polished, considering, and it’s clear he takes pride in his work. And as a point-of-sale app you can do a lot worse for actual money out.
The UI is too noisy. You want to give the operator just the information they need. Local stores usually just display the product description, the price, and a symbol for categories (eg taxable or food stamps). Tax and total displayed prominently in one place on the bottom. They don’t display rate since most people know it.
The local systems have only this. That’s where I diverge where I prefer extra information and options allowed using some command or key press. If you need it, you can get to it. If you don’t (99% of time), you don’t even see what you don’t need.