Garage is a great example, 100% agree. The sad thing is that what you just said, being able to see everything at a glance, is a taboo in the design circles. The argument they're making is that too much information overloads the user. I don't buy that - we are bombarded by complexity every moment. We evolved to spot prey/threat in the enormous complexity of foliage. Our vision system can take a lot of abuse.
What designers fail to understand is the difference between complexity resulting from disorganization vs. complexity resulting from logically laid out tools on the wall - all available for selection in a moment's notice. The latter is the complexity all humans can handle. We do this everyday when shopping groceries, driving cars to navigating airports.
The human brain is capable of so much; can adapt to SO MUCH.. I also do not believe that too much information overloads the user. A sudden wall of info may he a bit of a surprise, sure.
Look at how much information is on a single page of literally any novel! Or a complex spreadsheet. All of it easily ingested when you just take the time required to see things in the required way(s).
What designers fail to understand is the difference between complexity resulting from disorganization vs. complexity resulting from logically laid out tools on the wall - all available for selection in a moment's notice. The latter is the complexity all humans can handle. We do this everyday when shopping groceries, driving cars to navigating airports.