214
Why is UI design backsliding?
(lemmy.zip)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
I assume the extra padding was a function of touch screens becoming more prevalent since trying to hit the 2003 style buttons with a finger was not that easy, although I don't remember offhand when touch first started becoming a thing in Windows so it might have happened the other way around. But either way it's likely still a factor in why the ribbon with its extra padding has stuck around.
Larger click targets for touch screen users
Larger screens with higher resolutions, meaning less need for cramped UIs
Larger click targets for trackpad users, as the PC market moved from desktops with relatively precise mouse inputs to small, imprecise trackpads that laptops had
Usability studies showing people generally like padding and spacing in their UX (despite Reddit and Lemmy insisting it's evil and everybody hates it)