Microblog Memes

I select the whole text, then one word less from both ends, then one word less from both ends, then.... You get it... Until I'm down to the last 1 or 2 words.

UI designer/developer here. One who works on features that facilitate reading.

Based on their writing style and the text highlighting habit, this person is likely dyslexic. I've helped create functions that facilitate this behavior, which is better suited as a mode that can be enabled manually. There are browser extensions that can do this sort of thing for you. I've worked on a lot of assistive reading features.

If this was set as a default behavior, most users would fucking riot. Most of them are using text highlighting for what this person doesn't want to do.

Edit - I think I need to emphasize that this is based on real data. A shit ton of it. These decisions aren't made based on vibes. If the user base is performing a specific action repeatedly, we're going to facilitate it. We can see what you all are doing. UI's aren't built around a bunch of conflicting edge cases based on anecdotes. If something performs a certain way, at least major applications, it's usually because a lot of direct observations and metrics have strongly indicated that this is the preferred approach.

Admittedly, sometimes business goals get in the way of that. But if those business goals we have to push get in the way of conversions, they get abandoned pretty quickly.

Come to Japan where they like to make everything images instead. Can't select it, can't copy it, can't translate it without a camera, can't preview the text of something, is bad for accessibility, etc.

I do this. It’s just a stimming thing while reading web articles and I hate being sent to Twitter or whatever for it.

Isn't it amazing when text is also not selectable? Like its rendered behind some other shit?

I fucking hate websites ❤️

We went from using no punctuation to using too much. I struggled while reading this.

I do this too, I'm the only one I know who doesn't think it's weird to do, I'm glad I'm not alone.

I do it, too. I rarely read any text without subconsciously marking the text while reading it. Might be a tool for me (ADHD) to make it easier not to lose track - I don't know.

But regardless of why people do it and while I agree that it's probably something very specific not a lot of users do, I refuse to believe that anyone actually uses those select->popup-> share features, ever. Often the little pop-up even blocks the text above it which is just insanely bad UX imo.

Sites should never mess with core functionality without asking (scrolling, selection, tab/keyboard navigation, hijacking common shortcuts/right click, clipboard, history, etc).

I believe someone came up with that idea a decade+ ago and people just want it on their site to add value without actually checking if anyone uses it.

Teams is the worst offender. It constantly wants me to call any number. Social? Phone? Whatever. I don't want to call anyone, and I sure as hell don't want to do it via Teams.

Do this to note my place, especially when the text is smaller and the lines are long. Makes it so much easier to find the line I left off on if I have to step away, or to find my way back to the next line more easily.

It’s the equivalent of putting my finger or a bookmark down on a page in a novel.

I have a protocol for this.

1. go to website
2. if UX is offensive exit website
3. add website to pihole blacklist and description of why
4. never visit website again

I know it doesn't mean much to them, but I refuse to accept a shitty online experience when a product team actively circumvents standard internet experiences like highlighting, copy/paste, or browser jacking (looking at you Microsoft).

Hell yeah josef

Totally do this. Thought it was just me.

My absolute biggest gripe about the failings of proper UI design is icons with no text attached.

Floppy, okay surely the save button. Some book looking thing, no fucking clue. An eye in the middle of a square, what the fuck are you people doing???

Having to hover over a weird looking icon to MAYBE gleam some sort of information on it takes so much longer than just having the fucking text below the God damn icon. Sometimes they don’t even have hover text! Thats GREAT UI skills there, Junior! Maybe you’ll get there eventually!

Fucking idiots.

I hear you! It sounds like you want user-select: none on all text, because you want the site to feel more like a real newspaper, and having too many features like text selection is distracting you.

Nonsense. AI adds rich features like these that no one wanted so VCs can become rich. The only thing missing on modern computers is blindingly-bright nuclear explosion white LEDs that shine directly into your optic nerve, all the time.