alt Hacker News> Yet if I spent one hour making my app one second faster for my million users, I can save 277 user hour per year. But since user hours are an externality, such optimization never gets done.
Wait times don’t accumulate. Depending on the software, to each individual user, that one second will probably make very little difference. Developers often overestimate the effect of performance optimization on user experience because it’s the aspect of user experience optimization their expertise most readily addresses. The company, generally, will have a much better ROI implementing well-designed features and having you squash bugs
A well designed feature IS considerate of time and attention. Why would I want a game on 20 fps when I could have it on 120? The smoothness of the experience increases my ability to use the experience optimally because I don't have to pay as much attention to it. I'd prefer if my interactions with machines were as smooth as my interactions driving a car down a empty dry highway mid day.
Prehaps not everyone cares but I've played enough Age of Empires 2 to know that there are plenty of people who have felt value gains coming from shaving seconds off this and that to get compound games over time. It's a concept plenty of folks will be familiar with.