FEATURE
How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Magician and ex-Google Design Ethicist
This one is an oldie, but sadly still topical and relevant article by ex-Google Design Ethicist Tristan Harris. He highlights several ways in which technology hijacks our attention and manipulates our choices, including controlling menus, using variable rewards, inducing fear of missing out, exploiting social approval and reciprocity, creating infinite feeds, and bundling reasons.
He suggests that technology companies should take responsibility for reducing the negative effects of these manipulations and design their products to align with users’ true needs. He also proposes the idea of a “bill of rights” for digital design standards that prioritize user agency and minimize distractions.
medium.com
CREATIVITY
How The Artist's Way helped me find my own creativity
The Artist's Way is a 12-week course that helps people unlock their capacity for creativity — whether in art, at work, or in life. At its core, it's a great practice to access more delight, curiosity, and creative inquiry within your daily life.
For Lauren, the Artist's Way grew to mean more than just a fun summer project or a tool to overcome writer's block. It helped her face her fears around trying new things, and gave her a better framework to live with the vulnerability and uncertainty that comes with life.
Next month we will start the last 12 weeks of 2023... just saying!
npr.org
EMPATHY
Everyday Empathy
This was written by Erika Hall a few years ago, but is still as relevant today.
There has been a lot of talk in the design community about the value of empathy, meaning an understanding of the needs and behaviors of the people for whom we’re designing. The term is problematic because it conflates a basic human emotional response (empathy) with a process that requires critical thinking (evidence-based design).
While we can talk about different types of empathy, a dangerous ambiguity remains. Without the critical thinking part, it’s easy to fall into the trap that designing things in a way that feels good is the same as good design.
muledesign.com
VISUAL
J&J’s new logo ditches its 130-year-old cursive script
The health care giant said that it will replace the well-known signature script it has used since 1887 with a modern look that reflects its sharpened focus on pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
The original script — based on co-founder James Wood Johnson’s signature — will still be seen for now on consumer products like baby shampoo from Kenvue, a new company recently spun off from J&J.
The signature logo was “one of the longest-used company emblems in the world,” J&J declared in a 2017 website post. But it started showing its age in an era of texting and emojis.
fastcompany.com
EXPERIMENT
Uber Eats is reportedly developing an AI chatbot that will offer recommendations, speed up ordering
The chatbot will ask users about their budget and food preferences to assist with order placement. It sounds reasonable given the variety of options available on a delivery platform like that.
Chatbots are common these days for help and support. Different restaurants have also experimented with chatbots on other platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatApp. Domino's, often known for trying new channels also used a version with Twitter (before it X'd out), and text messaging.
What do you feel about using a chatbot for ordering from your go-to restaurants? Overkill? Shiny Object Syndrome?
techcrunch.com
UX
Apple killed the mute button and left us with this mess
The author complains that Apple killed his favorite button. The button that shuts the world off from the world. The button that actually does what you want it to do in a nanosecond. Satisfying. Functional. Mechanical. The mute button was his homie.
It’s the button you can operate by feel. The button that goes click, mute, click, unmute, click, mute—anywhere, everywhere: the sofa, the movie theater, the doctor’s office, the bus, subway, car, or airplane. It’s always just one single-handed nail flick away. Daylight or night. Doesn’t matter. It silences your notifications instantly.
But at this week’s iPhone event, Apple killed it and gave us a new UX mess: the “action” button.
fastcompany.com
Improving The Double Diamond Design Process
The so-called “Double Diamond” is a great way of visualizing an ideal design process, but it’s just not the way most companies deliver new projects or services. Andy Budd proposes a new “Double Diamond” idea that better aligns with the way work actually gets done and highlights the place where design has the most leverage.
But then again, after a feature goes live, it's onto the next one... so it may just end up half of a double diamond... Sigh!
smashingmagazine.com
