Smooth Design Costs Us Natural Decision Signals

Do you remember when smartphones first came out?

A smooth screen, replacing buttons. Compare that to a 1980s cassette player. A few buttons, replacing multiple shapes, textures, dials, different button sizes, and colors.

I've felt the difference sparring on sand, vs. sparring on a mat. My father could feel if a cut in wood would work before measuring it- from the "imperfections" of the wood itself.

There's a cost to making things smooth and well-ordered.

It costs us more energy in decision-making.

The "noise", the chaos, gives us the signals we need to make faster decisions.