Dangerous metaphors, Apple’s experiment, presenting negative UXR findings
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
“In technology, we use metaphors to simplify and relate ideas. They serve as stepping stones to explaining high-level concepts and popularizing AI.
We must be cautious about the metaphors we embrace and the narratives we construct when discussing AI’s future. They shape our perceptions, set expectations, and guide our actions. When people say ‘data is the new gold’ while comparing AI advancements to the Wild West, we must dig deeper into what they really mean.”
Editor picks
- An ethical dilemma for innovation →
Navigating risks in a rapidly changing world.
By Luca Lamera - Why designers need to be more like gardeners →
To benefit both people and the planet.
By Kelly Smith - Hiring, lip service, and inclusion →
What I have learned creating a more inclusive hiring process.
By Raff Di Meo
The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.
Make me think
- The rise of emotional divestment →
“Something radical has changed in the wake of the pandemic, and I’d argue that it’s accelerated in the past two years. The focus on facing dark realities through deep connection that blossomed briefly during Covid has been replaced by a divestment not just from communal experiences of sadness but from all external emotional sources.” - A wasted life →
“A life of contemplation and idle discourse is incompatible with the structures of contemporary capitalism, belonging to the domain of aristocratic frequenters of nineteenth-century salons and the rhetoricians of ancient Greece. The rest of us must work to survive; produce to consume. Even the most generous of arts patrons are wont to expect some form of return on their investment.” - The artist and the inner retreat →
“Creative people today are encouraged to incessantly self-promote on social media. Afterwards many of us feel empty after “shouting into the void” and posting our stuff without getting the response we hoped. We’re compelled to fill the void of the market rather than explore the void within, as artists are meant to do. No wonder we struggle.
Tools and resources
- Breaking bad news →
How to present negative UX research findings.
By jim mccool - Organizing your design system →
Practical ideas for designers.
By John “Ojanti” Itebu - Highlights from UXRConf 2024 →
What’s stirring up the UX Research industry.
By Beverly Vaz
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