Back in the mid to late 1980's when the world began to move from computers using the old-fashioned clumsy modal, text-based human interface to systems employing the new "GUIs" (graphical user interfaces) provided by the Macintosh, X-Window UNIX machines, and later, MS Windows, I saw the trend and was determined move along with -- or preferably stay ahead of -- the curve. This style of interface was still new, and a great many programmers simply couldn't successfully adapt to the new style. The interfaces they built were often as clumsy as the old-fashioned ones, and many times they were worse!

In large measure, this is because good human interface design is more an art than a science. And to successfully produce this blending of art and software technology, some solid training is required.

Since nearly all of the recognized GUI "artists" were at Apple Computer, that's where I went for my training. I took three successively more detailed and intensive courses on the topic.

The most important lesson of all? SIMPLICITY! The best user interfaces are the simple ones, the intuitive ones, those free of razzle-dazzle, those that focus on the clear presentation of information as the first and foremost priority.

In a word, we were taught to create interfaces that were elegant. That minimized visual clutter as much as possible. That emphasized simple representations and avoided complexity. The complex features of an interface must always be optional and hidden, available only upon the explicit request of the user. Providing the user with data for data's sake was to be scrupulously avoided. Above all, the interface must be free of clutter and make effective use of the visible field.

The wretched interface here violates ALL of those rules! In no particular order, here are the flaws...

The interface is FAR too "busy". Stuff all over the page, violating the guidelines for use of the visual space.

Look at all the irrelevant data presented! For example: " Liberal Mormonism --- TheMormonDude ( 01/04/2002, 15:25:56 ) ( 2604 bytes ) +6 **** (2) "

Do we need the parens? Do we need to know the precise second the post was submitted? Do we, good Bob, need to know the size -- in bytes! -- of the post? I've objected to the rating system elsewhere. And those asterisks, why are they there? And what can we gather from that mysterious "(2)"? Who cares!

It doesn't matter what they all mean. The old fora provided all the information we needed. What we see here is information overload. It is ugly, variable field, hard-to-read trivia! Did you notice how clean and simple the old interface was? The information on who posted what when was all there in neat, easy to read, easy to ignore columns. Simple. Neat. Organized.

Look at the font sizes! Are you telling me that none of you feels like you are writing in crayon on that inch-high ruled paper we had in kindergarten? This is horribly UGLY! And it infects the place with a juvenile atmosphere. (And please don't tell me that one can change the font sizes in the settings for your own browser, for if we do change the settings, every other site becomes unreadably small!)

Look at the terrible and clumsy use of space! Look at the 3/4 inch indentations! Can you imagine how ridiculous 100+ post threads will look? How impenetrable they will be?

Look at the vertical spacing, too! Between the huge fonts and the deep indents and the vertical spacing, half a dozen posts here take up more room than 30 did on the old forum!

And note the absence of the connecting lines we used to have. They made identifying which posts are in response to whose an order of magnitude more obvious to the eye. On fora like this one -- considering all the WASTED vertical and horizontal space -- it can be almost impossible to figure out the flow of a conversation.

Then examine how hard it's going to be to re-familiarize and re-orient oneself in all the various discussions after being away for a while. Yes, this new software makes it easy to know exactly what's been posted very recently, but often times I find that I must review many of the older posts to properly keep track of the flow of a discussion. This new software will actually make that much MORE difficult! Individual posts will shuffle off for one reason or another and the gestalt of the thread will be lost!

When I take a look at all the highly confusing, visually disorienting and ridiculously over-cramped "stuff" on a page, more than anything else I feel a sense of hopelessness and futility. Who wants to fight so hard to make sense of what's going on? Who wants to struggle this hard to follow a conversation?

Like many other potential and actual forum users, I have avoided such an ugly interface for all the above reasons and more. In a complex thread, you have to shift back and forth among multiple pages to properly keep track of a discussion. This interface completely lacks any trace of elegance or visual clarity in its design. It is ugly and horrible, and it is cheap for a reason.

To summarize: This forum software FAILS on all the most important elements of GUI human interface design. It is visually cluttered with trivia. It consumes a ridiculous amount of visual space, which makes comprehension much more difficult. It is clumsy. It is visually unstructured. It is pitifully inelegant. And it looks like a place for children.

The old fora boasted a simple, elegant and well-structured interface. It was intuitive and graceful. It used just the right amount of visual space. It was cohesive and well-conceived. It looked like a place for adults to engage in thoughtful discussion.

Don't underestimate the importance of these visual attributes! Many of you seem enamored of the new toys, and I can't fault you for wanting to have a bit of fun. But when you get over the novelty and get back to serious discussions, many of you will ache for the return of the simple and adult elegance of the old fora.