[krm01]

> The primary goal should be to allow users to interface with the machine in a way that allows maximal understanding with minimal cognitive load.

If you use your phone, is your primary goal to interface with it in a way that allows maximal understanding with minimal cognitive load?

I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. You go read the news, send a message to a loved one etc. there’s a human need that you’re aiming to fulfill. Interfacing with tech is not the underlying desire. It’s what happens on the surface as a means.

[JohnFen]

> If you use your phone, is your primary goal to interface with it in a way that allows maximal understanding with minimal cognitive load?

Yes, absolutely. That's what makes user interfaces "disappear".

> Interfacing with tech is not the underlying desire.

Exactly. That's why it's more important that a UI present a minimal cognitive load over the least number of steps to do a thing.

[TeMPOraL]

Indeed. Our brains are good at making steps disappear, if the underlying system is predictable.

In other words, an UI with more steps but fully predictable has much lower cognitive load than a predictive UI that has fewer steps, but occasionally guesses wrong (or an UI that just has fewer steps, but they're sort of different each time, which is currently the norm on the web and mobile).