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Comment by tbossanova | Hacker News Reader

The onboarding to driving a car is pretty tough, but people stick it out because the product has clear use once you get there.

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Depends on the area you live in and the surrounding culture. People from big cities in Europe, Asia, and NYC in the US often avoid learning how to drive a car. It just stands out in the minds of most Americans and many Europeans because there's no reasonable alternative to driving to transport yourself anywhere. It's a great example of how even a crappy product experience wins when there's no competition in the market.

i find it hilarious that you describe driving as a crappy product experience. sure it is challenging, but learning to drive is learning how to operate a significant piece of machinery with social responsibilty in return for greater freedom of mobility. ux factors play seccond fidle to this

It’s more that a huge amount of freedom has been taken from you so you jump through hoops to have some of it returned.

I’m an American and I grew up in the suburbs. I hate driving and I avoid it at all costs. I’ve considered giving up my license.

it’s challenging, and I can drive competently, but it’s not rewarding at all. I find public transit much more free. Parking? Terrible. Monthly payments? Expensive. Drinking? No driving, but don’t leave your car anywhere unattended.

Also, it’s not lost on me that automobiles are one of the leading causes of death in America.

So eh fuck cars. I get the freedom associated with it, but it’s not the only way forward, we could create a different world. Likewise, mastadon has a mediocre onboarding experience and we can and should make it better. But it’s IMO such a natural product that it’ll get better.

my post wasnt a matter of pro- or anti- driving. personally my preference of mobility is walking. i am grateful though for the freedom of being able to drive to my loved ones at wish. i would hate it if i had to count on a bus to drive me 100kms, whereas a car would get me there in under an hour on a motorway. that said, i dont think anyone finds driving in the city enjoyable. my point is that driving is a matter of utility, not product purchase. purchasing a car is a matter of product choice for that utility, and you will pay a premium for better ux. same as computers. computers are a utility. people would go through hoops to learn how to use it because of the utility. purchasing a macbook is then a matter of product choice. in this vain mastodon seems to me to be a utility. clients that connect to it are a product

Bikes are hard too. How many people avoid both?

Many I'll bet. My partner finds it hard to balance on e-scooters and avoids them like the plague. I keep telling her she just needs to practice a bit, but that's the "onboarding experience" for ya.

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