Victor Loux Bookmarks

A feed of interesting articles and websites I have recently read. Check out my newsletter for a digest of the best!

People expect technology to suck – kbps

kilobitspersecond.com/2020/09/22/people-expect-technology-to-suck/
A few jobs ago, I was helping someone with a small tech issue, standing over their shoulder at their computer. The screen was unbelievably dark; I’m not exaggerating when I say it looked to be near 0% brightness. For all I knew, this person had some vision sensitivity or just a basic personal preference that […]

UX Hiring: The Power of the Screening Question | by Jared M. Spool | UX Strategy Playbook with Jared Spool | Medium

medium.com/creating-a-ux-strategy-playbook/ux-hiring-the-power-of-the-screening-question-3ba4855b6ea1
We use a tailored form of this question when we’re helping clients with their UX hiring. While the specific question we ask candidates will vary, it does the same thing each time: It tells us which…

Disrespectful Design—Users aren’t stupid or lazy – Somehow Manage

somehowmanage.com/2020/09/13/disrespectful-design-users-arent-stupid-or-lazy/
It's a common narrative in tech to design products with the assumption that users are stupid and lazy. I think that is both disrespectful and wrong. The idea is rooted in a lot of research around product usability, but it has been bastardized. Thing of it as a perversion of the Don't Make Me Think…

The Art of Debating: A Useful Skill for Software Developers

thevaluable.dev/guide-debate-software-developer-skill/
The keys to debate effectively as a software developer and therefore bringing value to yourself and your company.

What’s missing from corporate statements on racial injustice? The real cause of racism. | MIT Technology Review

technologyreview.com/2020/09/05/1008187/racial-injustice-statements-tech-companies-racism-racecraft-opinion/
On August 31, Airbnb launched Project Lighthouse, an initiative meant to “uncover, measure, and overcome discrimination” on the home-sharing platform. According to the company, Project Lighthouse will identify discrimination by measuring whether a renter’s perceived race correlates with differences in the rate or quality of that person’s bookings, cancellations, or reviews. This project comes amid…

What’s the Point If We Can’t Have Fun?

thebaffler.com/salvos/whats-the-point-if-we-cant-have-fun
My friend June Thunderstorm and I once spent a half an hour sitting in a meadow by a mountain lake, watching an inchworm dangle from the top of a stalk of grass…

How to be indistractable | Psyche Guides

psyche.co/guides/to-become-indistractable-recognise-that-it-starts-within-you
Stop blaming technology – distraction starts within. Manage your inner triggers to enjoy greater focus and a fuller life