In the rapidly evolving world of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is being used as a “Band-Aid” to cover up the bad design choices made by the tech industry over the years. From cluttered user interfaces and ineffective search engines to disorganized app stores, companies like Apple and Google are relying on AI to patch up their mistakes instead of creating user-friendly products. By selling AI as an innovative solution, these companies are essentially charging consumers to fix their own errors. This reliance on AI not only limits user choice and control but also gives tech giants the power to manipulate and guide our decision-making. It’s time for consumers to demand better from the trillion-dollar companies that dominate our digital lives.
The Problem with Current Tech Industry Design Choices
The tech industry has made several design choices that have negatively impacted the usability of their products. One prime example of this is the iPhone, which has become a usability nightmare. With each new release, the iPhone comes preinstalled with a multitude of apps, many of which cannot be deleted. This leads to a cluttered home screen and makes it difficult to find the apps you actually need. To make matters worse, the settings app is a labyrinth of options that are not organized in a user-friendly manner. Apple has essentially given up on building a clean user interface and instead relies on its AI-powered search engine, Spotlight, to help users find what they’re looking for. While artificial intelligence can be useful, in this case, it is simply a band-aid solution to the underlying design flaws of the iPhone.
It’s not just Apple that has turned to artificial intelligence to patch over their design mistakes. Google, the search market leader, has also made use of AI to compensate for its erosion of search result signifiers. Over time, Google has allowed its search results to become cluttered with search engine-optimized content that prioritizes making money over providing users with relevant and usable results. As a result, users now have to use tricks like Boolean strings to get the search results they want. In response to this, Google has introduced generative AI to summarize search results for users. While this may seem like a solution, it is merely a workaround for the deeper issue of poor search engine design. Companies like Google are using AI as a selling point for basic usability, when in reality, they should be focused on building better, more user-friendly products.
One of the root causes of these design flaws is what I call the Rot Economy. In today’s tech industry, growth is prioritized over usability. Public tech companies are driven by the constant need to expand their revenue and customer base. This leads to a bloated user experience, like what we see with Apple devices. To increase their services business revenue, Apple has continuously added more features and apps to their devices, resulting in a cluttered and confusing user experience. With over $100 billion in app store revenue per year, Apple has no incentive to trim down the number of apps on their devices. This reliance on AI to navigate through the mess of apps and settings further erodes the user experience and limits user control.
Another consequence of the tech industry’s reliance on AI is the loss of user control. Virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri have become replacements for conscious and intentional computing. While convenient, these voice interfaces limit what users can do to what Amazon or Apple allows them to do. Tech companies have failed to provide intuitive and easy ways for users to organize their apps and files, instead relying on automated search products to sift through the chaos. This lack of organization and user control gives tech giants too much power and control over user decision-making. When we search for something using Siri or Alexa, the results are controlled by Apple and Amazon, allowing them to prioritize their own services or preferred search results. This manipulation of the user experience to benefit tech giants further erodes user choice and empowerment.
AI as a Solution to Bad Design Choices
While AI may be used as a band-aid solution to bad design choices, it can also be harnessed to patch over design flaws and improve usability. By using AI technologies, tech companies can analyze user behavior and identify areas where their products are falling short. This data-driven approach can help them understand user pain points and make necessary improvements to their design and user experience.
In addition, AI can serve as a selling point for basic usability. By leveraging AI capabilities, tech companies can create smarter, more intuitive interfaces that adapt to users’ needs and preferences. For example, AI-powered virtual assistants can learn from user interactions and provide personalized recommendations and suggestions. This not only enhances the user experience but also makes tech products more user-friendly and accessible to a wider audience.
However, it is important to note that AI should not be seen as a substitute for good design. Tech companies should not rely solely on AI to fix their design mistakes; instead, they should prioritize investing in user-centric design practices. AI should be used as a tool to augment and enhance the user experience, rather than as a solution to cover up design flaws.
The Rot Economy: Growth vs. Usability
One of the underlying issues with current tech industry design choices is the focus on growth over usability. Public tech companies are driven by the need for endless expansion of both revenue and customers. This pursuit of growth has led to a bloated user experience, as companies continuously add more features and services to their products.
Apple’s constant attempts to increase its services business revenue have resulted in a cluttered user experience for iPhone and Mac users. Each new app or service comes with its own set of notifications and pop-ups, making it harder for users to find what they need. This bloated user experience is a result of Apple’s desire to generate more revenue, even if it comes at the expense of user satisfaction.
The app store, which generates over $100 billion per year for Apple, also contributes to the bloated user experience. With a vast number of apps to choose from, users are overwhelmed with options and find it difficult to discover apps that are truly useful to them. This reliance on the app store and AI-powered search further reinforces the dependence on tech giants, limiting user control and choice.
The emphasis on growth has created a vicious cycle where tech companies prioritize revenue and customer acquisition over improving the usability of their products. This “Rot Economy” perpetuates the cycle of bad design choices patched over with AI, leading to a degradation of the user experience.
Dependence on AI and Loss of User Control
The increasing reliance on AI in technology has resulted in a loss of user control and empowerment. Virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri have become replacements for conscious and intentional computing, aggregating commands into voice interfaces. While convenient, this reliance on AI limits what users can do to what the tech companies allow them to do.
Tech companies have failed to provide intuitive and easy ways for users to organize their apps and files. Instead, they offer automated search products as a solution to sift through the clutter. However, this further disempowers users and leaves them sifting through hundreds of apps and settings to find what they actually want to do.
When users search for something using virtual assistants or AI-powered search engines, the results are controlled by tech giants like Apple, Amazon, and Google. These companies have the power to manipulate the user experience to benefit themselves, prioritizing their own services or preferred search results. This lack of user choice and empowerment is a direct consequence of the dependence on AI and the failure of tech companies to prioritize user control.
AI’s Impact on User Experience
While AI has the potential to enhance user experiences, it also introduces new challenges and issues. One of the primary concerns is the single point of failure that AI-dependent user experiences create. When AI is responsible for organizing and finding desired functions, any error or poor design choice becomes a roadblock for users. This can lead to frustration and a diminished user experience.
Another impact of AI on user experience is the loss of user choice and empowerment. AI-based interfaces prioritize the experience that the tech company wants users to have, rather than what users actually want. This limits user freedom and decision-making, as tech giants control the results and options presented to users.
Furthermore, AI can be manipulated to benefit tech giants at the expense of users. By controlling search results or pushing their own services, tech companies can manipulate the user experience to their advantage. This undermines user choice and further reinforces the dominance of tech giants in the digital landscape.
Demanding More from Tech Companies
As consumers, we should demand more from the tech companies that have turned our digital lives into trillion-dollar enterprises. Improved usability should be a priority for tech companies, rather than just adding more features and services in pursuit of growth.
Consumers should have higher expectations for improved usability in tech products. We should advocate for user-centric design practices and demand products that are intuitive, organized, and easy to use. By holding tech companies accountable for their design choices, we can push for a better user experience that empowers users and gives them more control over their digital lives.
Tech companies should also invest in user research and feedback to understand user pain points and make meaningful improvements. By listening to their users and prioritizing their needs, tech companies can create better products that truly enhance the user experience.
Ultimately, it is up to both consumers and tech companies to create a tech industry that prioritizes usability and empowers users. By demanding more from tech companies and actively seeking out products that prioritize usability, we can pave the way for a better digital future.
