I hope that Apple Vision Pro will fail. It has to. And I say that as one of its biggest fans.
For decades, Apple and other tech companies have been in a race for resources: money and attention. This time, with a new way to capture our most important resource - attention.
My argument is simple: This device must fail for us to get a chance at better managing our time spent around screens.
We've got the screens strapped to our hands; we are taking our phones everywhere.
We use them to find meaning, fall in love, break things up, connect to strangers, and disconnect from reality.
We pay attention to screens when we work, travel/drive, cook, and exercise; we even use them when we are supposed to relax, meditate or fall asleep.
This new proposal is to strap a screen to our head.
Let that sink for a minute.
The ultimate proposition from Apple is to give up reality altogether and surrender 100% of our attention in exchange for an illusion.
It is an illusion designed well in a context where relationships fail at a crazy rate, and productivity is the only metric attached to a career. In a context where loneliness is a pandemic, we have become unable to manage our attention and boredom.
Here is the Vision Pro product page:
https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/
Generative AI technology seems to be used in some seriously messed up ways. Unfortunately, there's been a rise in the creation of explicit/pornographic content (including depictions of minors) with the help of these new tools.
Yeah, I know, it's disturbing. The worst part? This content is out there and accessible for free, so it can quickly spread like wildfire.
This episode is an attempt to ask an important question:
Do we even care if the content we consume has been faked?
Will anyone care if the image or the video is stimulating enough or serves their bias?
I'm asking this because most people (especially older people) with access to the internet have yet to develop a concept or appreciation for privacy or a source of information. It is not their fault—there was no educational phase before they either inherited your old Android phone or a cracked-screen iPhone.
I'm back. In this episode, for the first time, I have a guest.
Join me and my special guest, Pi, as we delve into the fascinating world of conversational AI.
Pi is an advanced AI bot renowned for its conversational abilities. Join me as I anxiously explore the intricacies of natural language processing, machine learning, and the future of human-computer interaction.
To better understand its capabilities, please follow this link: https://inflection.ai/press
To install the bot on your iPhone, follow this one:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pi-the-curious-ai/id6445815935
If you are quiet and pay attention, you can hear the funeral march in the distance.
I wrote on this topic before. You can read it on my Medium channel. It was long and probably boring, and most people never read the end of it. So I decided to publish it in a different format because some things have changed in my head and also just to piss off a few people.
For those who aren’t patient enough, I tell you the end of it. The persona used today is dead weight. A corpse pulls all projects from the centre down to the unknown. I'm referring to one of the most interesting experiences done in a while—learn more about it by searching Alexander Nix at Concordia. Enjoy!
The actual context (the lockdown) is creating the opportunity for change. One important aspect is work. We can't return to the old normal; we must explore new ways of large-scale and long-term collaboration. Excessive commutes, open-plan offices, and endless meetings are the worst enemies of our attention and productivity. Let's keep the conversation going and do something about it. I plan to do my part.
I love Monzo, but Monzo needs to mature soon. If they keep growing but forget about the relevant details, they will end up in the same place as the monsters they challenged in the first place. This episode is about managing expectations, being transparent, and being helpful so you build the right kind of brand—a brand you can rely on when the s**t hits the fan. Enjoy!
As designers, I keep saying that you and I need to learn when we need to be bold and celebrate our victories but also be humble, recognise our mistakes, and learn from them. This episode is about two important design failures from two big companies that hire extraordinary people and completely ignore one sacred basic rule of design—deliver what you promise. When you listen to this, the mistakes will be forgotten by most of their customers, but as designers, we must learn from them.
Besides the loss and distress, the current pandemic is also allowing us to learn something as designers. We can see that, motivated by a crisis, humans will change their behaviour and embrace new attitudes that will stay with us for a while. We talk too much about empathy in design, sometimes just to show the others that we care and feel validated. We pretend to care better instead of being more compassionate, humble, and honest about our design. And it shows.
The way we test digital experiences today is outdated and produces toxic data. Data that alters the products we create and slows us down as designers in learning how to learn about users. The methods mostly used by (usability) testing platforms are delivering almost nothing.
It is time to change this, and I am ready to do my part. To start, I will invite seasoned designers to the conversation, but until then, please consider this the spark that starts a fire.
As designers, we need to become more interested in data, personality traits, business propositions, and context. We need to get out of our bubbles and familiarize ourselves with the tools and methods scientists are using.
We have enough bad examples of abusing the power of those tools and knowledge by now —it is time to reclaim those methods and use them for good.
Two relevant examples (I hope) to give you more context to this conversation: a.Cambridge Analytica - The Power of Big Data and Psychographics b.1Personality tests - 16personalities.com
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For generations, millions of people have tried to save the Earth. Don’t use plastic, don’t buy gas, turn off the lights, stop the engine, walk more, eat less. Save the trees, save the bees. By all means, these are skills we need to embrace to counter the effects of consumerism, but saving the Earth is a different game. I think we are looking at this huge problem the wrong way. It is impossible to save the Earth. We don’t have that kind of power; by power, I mean knowledge. If we can save something, we can save ourselves. We are part of this planet, as trees and bees. Our desire to be different, our socio-political framework won’t allow this. We solve this issue and the planet, and we might survive. As for the planet, it will be just fine with or without us.
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Today, attention is one of the hottest products on the market, in addition to data. Our attention is exploited in ways we would find ridiculous only a decade ago. I don't bring too much news to the table; most of you know this fact. Most of you choose to do nothing because you don't understand the effects. And this is normal. None of us was prepared for this. The first step in getting to this type of resource for any company interested in your attention is building a habit that starts with teaching you a pattern. To teach you a habit, most platforms offer a random incentive - quick rewards for micro-interactions - post a photo, receive (maybe) likes, leave a comment, (maybe)someone (sometimes) will answer. A byproduct of this interaction is the fear of missing out - a great motivator for most of us. The fact that the random reward is in place makes everyone constantly check for the red badge that announces that someone cares for you. It is time to rise above this. In small steps the first step is to understand that your attention is being exploited.
Pay attention to your habits because someone already does.
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The way we use personas in digital design has proven to be not only inefficient but also dangerous. This conversation is a case against this practice. We (as designers) know better and must update the standard of our design processes. As usual, this is just the beginning of the conversation. I will get back to you with help. Enjoy!
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We are lucky; there are few important voices out there who worry about ethics in technology. This episode is about our responsibility as designers and barely scratches the surface of this heavy subject, so I promise I will be back with help. Enjoy!
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