Naushad . Product Designer

Category: User Experience

  • Jio Fiber Usability Issue can not view password

    So I have a Jio Fiber at home. When I had to add new mobile devices to the Wifi it was easy, use the Share password feature on every phone and let the new phone scan it.

    Easy

    However, this was not possible as i got a new Windows Laptop, I could not Scan the code and some Android phones do not display the password.

    I thought it will be easy, I can just login to the Router Admin URL and view the password and type it in my laptop.

    To my surprise, I can only CHANGE password from the router admin Not View already set password.

    Now, Just to setup 1 new device, I have Only 1 option.

    Create a new password which disconnects all devices, the device that I am using as well and then Add All Devices again to the same network.

    Going to Jio support was of no help, the robots designed to keep human support away just told me instructions on how to change password.

  • I had never thought hiking trails are “designed”

    Vox video Designing Hiking Trails

    I have trekked a lot but never imagined that Trails are “Designed”… Assuming trails in India are mostly desire, accessible lines (keywords from the video) rather than Designed ones…..

    Watch the video to get curious enough. 🙂

  • PayTM and the dark pattern in Postpaid

    Usage of dark patterns by payments app PayTM as documented by The Ken Web. Details in twitter thread below.

    As the Data Protection bills come to light, Dark Patterns must also be banned in India.

  • Amazon App splash screen dark pattern

    Amazon App Launch page

    So I checked the Amazon app after a few months. Just for reference, Amazon App Logo changed from this to this.

    At first I was looking for the old Amazon logo by memory, after finding no results, i realized, the logo has changed.

    Amazon App Logo Icon Changes

    What got me irrirated was the splash screen was now full lenght screen. With no way out for the user.

    Look at the full screen below

    Amazon App Splash Screen no exit routes

    Turns out they’ve force you to choose a Prime plan. There is no way to exit the flow. Youur only option is to close and restart the app.

    Now imagine users who don’t know restart is an exit route.

    Implications

    • The Gen X userbase in India would be forced to add a card.
    • The subscription would continue and they would get a shock.

    This is what happens when unethical and immoral business requirements enforce a user experience against the user needs/wants.

    How to get rid of this

    Businesses with the technology and monopoly would always have control and dicatate what their users can and can not get. In my understanding regulation is the only way to tackle this. I am not sure if such dark patterns are covered in the regulations like this California ban on dark patterns. If not, it should. Such regulations are a good starting point.

    Update

    So i checked the amazon app again yesterday and was pleasantly surprised that they have updated the splash screen to make it more explicit and made the options to continue without forcing to signup for prime.

    Apart from the actions, we can see clear description in text on what the user can expect.

    Updated Amazon App Splash Screen with Clear actions and descriptions.

    #darkpatterns

  • Hire for ability and skills while being cognizant of the contextual limitations.

    I came across this LinkedIn post by Patrick Neeman. As a designer who has worked in multiple contexts i can relate to it. I have worked at large organizations where the design team was in double digits to startups with 2 designers and solo designer. Having seen all the constraints be it business, politics, technology or design maturity, i can appreciate the limitations that designers have in exercising their skills. I have also experienced that the hiring managers do judge candidates basis what candidates did without taking cognizance of the context.

    Some more contexts that the decision makers should be conscious like, access to users, nature of product (Enterprise vs Consumer), focus on interaction with no focus on research.

    Post

    A designer’s success is so much about the situational context that it alone can determine what they were able to deliver in an environment. We judge on delivery versus what was even possible to deliver.

    This needs to change.

    There should be an open conversation about the organization they worked for and whether or not it was even possible to move the needle. Authenticity and transparency should be the rule during interviews, not the exception.

    The situation may take many forms: a code poor base, a non-strategic business model, poor management, or an underfunded UX team that doesn’t have the resources to do their job well.

    All of these are beyond the designer’s control. That should be the start of the conversation, not the end.

    In a realistic world, they’re acknowledged upfront — an excellent way to discover them is the STAR interview format — and then discuss what was learned.

    Candidates can be judged based on the skills they bring to the organization over a Potemkin Village resume that drafts off of others more so than the skills they bring.

    That would level the playing field more that anything else: it would open opportunities up to candidates that have been in difficult environments and shown resilience in the face of adversity versus a big name on the resume.

    Patrick Neeman

    As Patrick rightly puts across, the decision makers which includes recruiters and not just hiring managers, must make this as conscious consideration in their hiring process. It will also contribute if the candidates who experience this, share the concerns with the recruiters.