“Choosing the proper amount of abstraction is tricky, because each user comes to what you’re making with their own amount of experience. Experience gaps are not unique to computing, but I think it matters more here than in many other situations.”
I agree with Chimero’s statement about balance in abstraction. While continuous updates and abstractions in technology are what keeps users engaged, it is very easy to overdo it. Users of technology appreciate simple, straightforward things such as the invention of touch screens vs old flip phones, but change needs to occur in small steps, or there is a risk of people finding the updates as too abstract or difficult to understand. More specifically, “experience gaps” are prevalent among various age groups. My grandparents are still learning to use smartphones, my parents have it figured out but still have a difficult time typing on the screens, and people my age and younger consider their technology as an extension of the bodies. The abstraction of data on a screen works in the same way as these physical technological changes. Moreover, it seems that younger users can adapt to abstractions more easily than older people, creating these experience gaps, which makes it difficult to find a balance between abstracting and staying the same.