# Creating legible interfaces is expensive [[Structuring knowledge is expensive]]. Interface is an entire art in and of itself so this will not do it justice. Ironically this note is not a good interface to interface design. A legible interface minimizes the amount of context you need to know about whatever is behind the interface and also minimizes the amount of context you need aside from the interface to make it work. It is a lot of work to figure out just the right number of gauges and toggles (observation and controls) to allow someone to get all the utility out of the behind-the-interface system without just exposing the whole system. [[The Map is not the Territory]]. You could think of the expense of context separation via an interface as a [[Transaction costs]]. [[The less shared context you have the higher the coordination costs]]. As a consequence, the interface needs to be used enough that the expense is worth it. Therefore, heavily used things tend to have better interfaces, which make them easier to use and creates a positive feedback loop. This also holds true for interfacing with other people. [[It takes bravery to demystify things]]. There is a tradeoff between communication and the necessity for interface legibility. The more communication between groups working on different pieces, the less legible the interfaces need to be. More communication means more shared context. [[Context is important and underrated for knowledge transfer]]. ### Related * [[Fully open online discussions are low quality because of trust and context]] * [[Jargon is mystifying to people without the relevant context]] <!-- #evergreen --> [Web URL for this note](http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Creating+legible+interfaces+is+expensive) [Comment on this note](http://via.hypothes.is/http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Creating+legible+interfaces+is+expensive)