art on Nostr: Tldr; follow the money Nontldr; Fuck it, rant time Design, like code, is a ...
Tldr; follow the money
Nontldr;
Fuck it, rant time
Design, like code, is a utilitarian tool for problem solving.
All problem solving happens in sociocultural-historical contexts.
Anyone who has a take on what design is or should be is by extension the same person who talks about what code is and should be. Or what a hammer is or should be. Or what a spoon is or should be.
Tools are a psychosocial manifestation of a sociocultural reality cocreated through a blessing that is the wetware of the human. We live long enough to construct culture and share and build on physical tools for problem solving. We are intelligent enough to internalize tools as sociocultural constructs. I lean into Vygotsky for this point of view.
Physical tools -> psychological tools and processes -> sociocultural-historical tools and processes
So - design being used to to maximize shareholder value *is* manifest through the context that created it. Designers and product managers are remunerated through metrics like retention. Because that's how to make money.
If one can build a digital product with different user metrics of success, that also correlate with an ability to feed one's children and community - then that's a winner.
And trust me - so many of us in design and product are trying and cheering and staying open. These communities include inclusive design, systems design (not IT sorry guys), Benefit Corporations, conscious capitalism.
Just remember the context in which a human tool is created and used. Don't hate the tool or the discipline.
And we wonder why people are so fucked up, people building apps just want you to be hopelessly addicted so they can make more money from ads. It’s hard to find design books on optimizing human well-being. Why does our relationship with computers have to be framed around getting users hooked on crack? There is something seriously wrong with our industry. note12er…7z4k
Published at
2024-05-18 04:08:04Event JSON
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