Timo Arnall, No to NoUI

Of course the interfaces we design may become normalised in use, effectively invisible over time, but that will only happen if we design them to be legible, readable, understandable and to foreground culture over technology. To build trust and confidence in an interface in the first place, enough that it can comfortably recede into the background.

Timo Arnall argues against the desire for “invisible interfaces”, contending that they gradually erode users and designers agency. As an alternative, he proposes that products should strive for legible and evident interfaces. Furthermore, he recognized that while these interfaces may become normalized over time—with the illusion of “invisibility” due to common use—they must fundamentally begin as being readable and understandable.