#public-perception-of-design

#public-perception-of-design

Mistakes are almighty: you can't ever guarantee that the next moment will host no manifestation of a mistake. According to evolution theory, the diversity of life on Earth entirely emerges from copying mistakes of DNA polymerase.

Aesthetic inspiration is social and collective, but aesthetic results are deeply personal. What works for one face, skin type, or bone structure won't always work for another.

All empires eventually fall, and it seems the creative software industry has collectively decided that Adobe's time has come. The Creative Cloud provider's suite of design tools have been considered the industry standard for decades.

We've both fought against needless promotional content before and lamented that frontier AI platforms are falling into the same pattern. As designers and users, we've learned that "free" usually means putting up with interruptive, slightly creepy ads that feel more like a tax than a benefit - a frustration tax that now colors how we approach free‑tier services and now AI tools.

When Sonos released its redesigned app in May 2024, the backlash was immediate and brutal. Users couldn't access basic features like volume control and alarms. Systems became unusable. The company's stock plummeted 25%. Eventually, the CEO was replaced, and lawsuits claimed over $5 million in damages from customers who'd lost functionality they'd paid for.