This is a great example of a decision to separate viewing tasks (“I want to review the details of this event so I can prepare”), and editing tasks (“I need to change some details of this event, and maybe update the other attendees”).

Separating view and edit tasks might sound like a straightforward decision, but it’s one that can receive plenty of pushback. The most common counter argument I’ve heard goes like this: “why not just allow people to have all of the tools and controls that they need immediately; so all of our powerful features are always at their fingertips!” While this line of thinking might come from a good place, but is likely why so many interfaces end up being bloated with information and controls. When a page gets crammed with functionality and information that makes everything possible at once, it (ironically) often makes the page impossible to use!

Too many options quickly gets overwhelming, and can interfere with people’s ability to focus on any one specific goal.

This decision to separate view and edit task probably involved user research and many discussions about the different user jobs to be done (JTBD)—a framework that helps analyze people’s motivations and expectations when aiming to complete certain tasks (more about JTBD here and here).

Let me give you a specific example—imagine you’re sitting down to review your day. The calendar page is probably the most helpful view; it helps you quickly understand what you have scheduled today, and later this week, so that you can manage your time effectively. In this context, the jobs—or tasks—that you want to complete probably involve getting a sense of all of your upcoming meetings for the day, and getting prepared for one or two of specific ones.