I've been a product designer for eight years, and I notice that minimalism in UI design is being treated as the only correct approach, yet many users actually struggle with overly sparse interfaces. When I tested a new app with a senior citizen group last month, most of them couldn't find the settings icon because it was hidden behind a minimalist hamburger menu. Does stripping away visual cues really improve usability, or are we just designing for other designers who already know the patterns? I'm curious if anyone else has seen data that shows minimal design reduces cognitive load for non-tech-savvy people, because my experience suggests it often backfires.