Month: December 2024

Industry of misunderstanding

I’ve been involved with a field of work called user experience design for about 25 years. It is a discipline, or a domain, much like software development or business management or leadership or legal or sales. What it is not is an industry. An industry, put simply, is a bunch of businesses or organizations that function within the same sphere of an economy like healthcare or automotive or higher education or financial services or technology or energy. If what we really mean is the digital industry, then we should say that. But user experience design is not only applicable to the world of tech that is coded by a software developer who makes the design of the thing come to life on a screen.

When did the field of user experience design (UX) become referred to as an industry? It is not a business that generates revenue unto itself so how can it be an industry? When did the title or moniker UXer come to life? It doesn’t mean anything except maybe user experience designer but then if we have that, what is a product designer? It seems all of these titles are meant to indicate work in a digital sector so we should say that.

The misunderstanding of user experience design will continue as long as we keep attaching the wrong phrases and words to them. It is sad that it’s about to turn over to 2025 and we’re in worse shape as a discipline, a domain that can apply to a lot of different industries. How hard is that to comprehend? It seems straightforward to me but that’s because I have a business background first, design is just a part of that 👿

Usability people!

Forget UX and all the bullshit surrounding it. Go back to usability everyone. That’s where UX was supposed to have its core and now it’s just a couple of letters that was misunderstood to begin with but now? Holy shit. Here’s a simple example of where UX is NOT happening. Anywhere on a browser that uses multi factor authentication and doesn’t tend to the interaction details that make it easiest on users. Here is what I mean:

User goes to [insert app here – like DoorDash or Instacart or some other horrible company] and signs in using whatever username.

App send user a verification code.

User goes back to screen to insert a 4 or 6 digit code.

If the cursor is NOT in the input box where the numeric code needs to be inserted, you are NOT doing UX (or product design whatever the fuck you call it when you fuck around in Figma, export to send to dev ticket).

Does it work? Yes, it will pass your unit test. Is it useable? Yes, I can get logged in. Is it user friendly or user center4ed or any of those things? NOT AT ALL. Why? Because there is unnecessary friction between me and the thing I’m trying to log into. It’s like anything where there is a number entry field and my keyboard is still showing me all the fucking letters. NO. You are not a UX person or UXer 😡 (I hate that one almost as much as UX/UI and UI/UX🤢at this point) if you do not eat your own dogfood.

Get out of Figma. Get into the mode of delivery for your design ASAFP. If you don’t, you’re doing it fucking wrong 😈

Now go donate to Wikimedia or be sorry and ashamed you didn’t when it’s gone.

It’s fucking disgraceful

Yes, Steve Schmidt, you got that right, it’s fucking disgraceful. Donald is, among many other ugly things, absolutely disgraceful and so is everything that comes along with him.

I’ll never understand how average people don’t see the con. Never. Exactly never will I be able to wrap my head around it. Cult? Sure. But come on not in 2024. People can get the truth if they really want it, it does exist. There are no alternative facts, only facts, fictions and a lot of complex things that can’t be boiled down to bumper sticker length.

But when he and his crew are stealing from us, that’s when I lose all ability to comprehend how people not only buy into his bullshit but act like rabid sports fans flying his flag and doing his jerkoff dance. What the actual fuck has happened. (Fully rhetorical question, nnta).

Kitty Rescue Me

Why I want to give you a pile of money for your house (pick me, pick me).

I’m – insert my name here – and I’m the person offering – insert $ here – for – insert address here.

The possibility of having you select my offer for your property is way too personal and important to me to communicate with you solely via – insert agent name here – (my real estate agent) and your agent.

I’d like this home for so many reasons, it’s hard to list them all but here goes:

  • All the reasons why everyone wants it!
  • It already felt like my home. Great vibe.
  • It’s peaceful, quiet, while still being near things.
  • There’s room for growing vegetables and flowers
  • I’d have the space for one of my (small-ish) dreams: an extra large catio.
    • Bonus, there’s already a cat door.
  • There’s space to start building my (much bigger) dream little by little: a cat rescue.
  • The amount of space makes it possible to consider other animals.

It’s been my dream for a long time to be able to save older cats from going into shelters when their owners pass and the animal has nowhere else to go. Where I live now is incredible but it’s California and I want to come back to this area to be close to my friends and family. I don’t really believe in “signs” from the universe and things like that but, in this case, I feel like it’s a little too coincidental that your home is on a street named Hollywood near others named Los Angeles and Pasadena.

Even though some of this may sound a little cheesy, I thought I’d share it anyway, thank you for taking the time to read it. Wishing you all the best – no matter what you decide.

Sincerely,
Me

BUT WAIT! There’s this one by ChatGPT. . .

Dear [Homeowner’s Name],

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I wanted to take a moment to share a little bit about myself and the vision I have for your beautiful home, as well as express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to submit an offer.

For years, I’ve dreamed of creating a sanctuary for cats whose owners have passed away, offering these beloved companions a safe, loving home where they can live out the rest of their days in comfort. This dream is rooted in my belief that every pet deserves dignity and care, even when life takes unexpected turns. I envision this sanctuary as not only a haven for the cats but also a source of peace for families who can rest assured their cherished pets are in good hands.

When I walked through your home, I immediately felt something special. The warmth and character of the space seemed to welcome me—and I couldn’t help but imagine how perfect it would be for creating this sanctuary. The rooms could be transformed into cozy nooks for the cats, the outdoor space could become a serene area for them to safely explore, and the house itself feels like a place where love can thrive.

I want you to know that, if you choose to sell your home to me, it will become so much more than a house. It will be a place filled with purpose, kindness, and care—a tribute to the animals we hold dear and the families who love them.

Thank you for considering my offer. I know letting go of a home can be a deeply personal and emotional decision, and I would be honored to steward it into this next chapter. If there’s anything I can do to make this process smoother for you, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

With gratitude and warm regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Contact Information]

Can I detach?

This is not a post about Scientology. I’m talking about tech. And when I say tech, first and foremost, I mean “Can I detach from my iPhone”? I need to because it’s just gone too fucking far. I read a comment in the Washington Post in response to an editorial about how to deal with the latest changes to Apple’s operating system which is one of the things that led to digging for my flip phone this morning that made me want to throat punch someone or just bury my head in my pillow. (I chose the pillow and a little more snuggle time with my cat).

I’ve been in or adjacent to UX since the late 1990’s. I almost don’t want to type that but it’s true and I will own what that means to me somewhere else. Not defending UX right now. What I do need to do is vent which is why this stupid blog is here! So, the comment, in relation to Apple’s iOS (NOT a fucking upgrade) move to iOS 18.1.1 on my poor, little iPhone SE (yes it has a fucking home button, so what?!) was about how it’s the fault of all those UX whatever…ok, lemme find said comment somehow…I’ve impressed myself and here it is:

Screenshot

Now that I’ve re-read it, I want to cry a little. What JL from Seattle is referring to is a problem I contributed to creating – without realizing it at the time. It didn’t take me that long to settle on the fact that I had to ditch the profit-driven entities (ahem, talking to you CareerFoundry and Designlab and General Assembly and others) that were and still are more involved in ruining an entire discipline than me. The thing I do have to laugh about for a sec is how I’m on the outside of all of it now which reminds me of a movie scene from In Good Company which I’ll find if anyone ever gives a shit. (Yes, I’m totally ADHD and referring to two facts:

1. the fact that I mentored a lot of students at bootcamps where ‘user experience’ (UX), as the commenter mentions above devolved into being only understood as the shit that surfaces on the screen which is the ‘user interface’, a part of the UX but only a part.) cry, a little

2. the fact that I was a UX person in the corporate world and ended up on a layoff list in 2023. laugh, jokes on me

Back to the bigger picture of being addicted to the iPhone (thanks Steve!) because I can’t give my profession more energy right now. What I can do is look at how the tech industry (UX is not an industry god dammit!!!) is impacting me which is to say, how on earth can I get away from this fucking device?

The detaching starts by charging the flip phone and getting the # out of it because I’m not sure I know where I put it. Oh, wait. It’s in my fucking iPhone! The ability to answer the question Can I detach affirmatively means having a process. Starting with getting all the necessary pieces of information out of the fucking iPhone. Maybe I’ll go to Chaucers and buy myself another present, a new Moleskin notebook 😈

What’s the word for that?

What’s the word for that thing that happens to a lot of us when we sit down to write and everything that hits the page gets deleted? That thing happens to me where I try, I start, I might have a thread of an idea but then whatever I write seems totally fucking irrelevant, stupid, ridiculous, unoriginal and unnecessary. Hard on myself? I guess that’s a yes.

The overload or distraction has to do with that voice but at this point in the evolution of everyone saying everything out into the internet it really feels more like screaming into a void than ever. But here I am with my own little blah dee blag machine trying to say something worth saying.

When I started all this tech and digital stuff I never thought it’d get to the point where I’d be repulsed by my own addictions to it while simultaneously finding wonder in the predictive nature of the thing I’m typing into right now. So what is that word? Attention deficiency for sure but there’s something else. That discounting of my own ideas before they’re even fully formed. The destruction is strong, almost immediate and definitely constant.

“who gives a shit” “get over it” “snap out of it” “it’s not … enough”

I guess naming it with a word doesn’t really matter. Awareness is more important and I’ll keep trying to shut that all down even though it’s a force – or maybe I flip that around – I’m a force to be reckoned with 😈