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Comment by nkkollaw | Hacker News Reader

Really cool.

The only problem I have with material design is that lots of apps just look the same, and some people _do_ confuse Google stuff with apps that use material design, thinking they're from Google.

Much better than all apps looking like Bootstrap's default theme, though, which is a popular alternative to loading a material design theme with a palette you picked.

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The other side of this is that it helps usability when things look and feel familiar. It's interesting how it's accepted that desktop applications generally look the same, but mobile apps are supposed to be more unique. Maybe just the nature of mobile being generally more consumer oriented?

I don't agree that desktop apps look the same, but it depends on the platform I think.

Apps that use native controls will definitely look the same, but the apps I've been using in the past few months—and yes some are Electron-based—all look very different on macOS.

Not sure, though.

I think it's that (consumer oriented), but also the more "personal" nature of mobile apps.

Isn't it weird that when it comes to desktop apps and particularly UI toolkits, we freak out when things don't match the OS style perfectly, but with applications on the web --- many of which are more UI-intensive than native apps --- we're constantly looking for the CSS Zen Garden?

So long as desktop apps don't mimic kai's power tool interface, I think a little variety on the desktop side is nice, so long as it fits function to a meaningful degree.

So an audio mixing applic might do something in a different way than office's ribbon ui.

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