It's also the similarities in the people. And what did stand out to me: All of them use MacOS, only one had no iPhone. I don't think that is a statement to the quality of the products, I see something else there - a kind of groupthink and tribal behaviour, the same mechanism that leads to all of them "liking" minimal Japanese aesthetic and simplicity.
I think it is a bad sign. If people in a field define themself over superficial stuff like that, are they qualified to judge the quality of their work? Or will they also judge them by their superficial standards, how it looks and whether it follows the newest fad? Based on how often redesigns go wrong I fear it is often the latter.
The design industry is absolutely toxic. It's dripping with this type of stuff. Trends and herd mentality rules everything around designers. It's why I started to move outside of design and into product. There's absolutely no room in the design industry for critical thought or dissenting opinion. It's so wrapped up into itself that any attempts at questioning the status quo are quickly thrown out as hate. I firmly believe that the design industry is a great way to see the deterioration of society at large.
Meh. It's toxic in the way development is toxic. There's a ~5% group of pragmatic systems thinkers, and a long tail of dudes on craigslist building vuln heavy PHP crapware for 25/hr.
But everything in the world is like that! Pizza, burritos, laptops, blue jeans, 3d printers.... it's just the way the math of life works out. Most ponies aren't pegasus. I don't think it's representative of the decline of society, I think it's representative of the distribution of society. And that's an impractical thing to get worked up about.
I'll admit, it's a little lonely though, having the groups that are best qualified to talk about the problems you like, but they're totally disinterested/distracted.
I think with graphic design becoming a more common skill, the industry's culture has indeed gotten worse. People are more desperate for work and conform to an image and language.
Yea many take their "cue" from a few popular designers and sort of use it to justify their design decisions. Often I feel its newer designers who may not feel comfortable taking a more assertive role in the process. I also notice the same sort of trend in concept art where many look like they use the same "photoshop" technique.
Its pretty much based on how easy/effective it is for users to use and understand. A/B test what works and you find it aint much.
Oh and fighting the powers that be to try something new is not to be underestimated. I have had to make many many poor decisions because of owners etc simply based on their taste.
Comments
It's also the similarities in the people. And what did stand out to me: All of them use MacOS, only one had no iPhone. I don't think that is a statement to the quality of the products, I see something else there - a kind of groupthink and tribal behaviour, the same mechanism that leads to all of them "liking" minimal Japanese aesthetic and simplicity.
I think it is a bad sign. If people in a field define themself over superficial stuff like that, are they qualified to judge the quality of their work? Or will they also judge them by their superficial standards, how it looks and whether it follows the newest fad? Based on how often redesigns go wrong I fear it is often the latter.
The design industry is absolutely toxic. It's dripping with this type of stuff. Trends and herd mentality rules everything around designers. It's why I started to move outside of design and into product. There's absolutely no room in the design industry for critical thought or dissenting opinion. It's so wrapped up into itself that any attempts at questioning the status quo are quickly thrown out as hate. I firmly believe that the design industry is a great way to see the deterioration of society at large.
Meh. It's toxic in the way development is toxic. There's a ~5% group of pragmatic systems thinkers, and a long tail of dudes on craigslist building vuln heavy PHP crapware for 25/hr.
But everything in the world is like that! Pizza, burritos, laptops, blue jeans, 3d printers.... it's just the way the math of life works out. Most ponies aren't pegasus. I don't think it's representative of the decline of society, I think it's representative of the distribution of society. And that's an impractical thing to get worked up about.
I'll admit, it's a little lonely though, having the groups that are best qualified to talk about the problems you like, but they're totally disinterested/distracted.
I think with graphic design becoming a more common skill, the industry's culture has indeed gotten worse. People are more desperate for work and conform to an image and language.
Yea many take their "cue" from a few popular designers and sort of use it to justify their design decisions. Often I feel its newer designers who may not feel comfortable taking a more assertive role in the process. I also notice the same sort of trend in concept art where many look like they use the same "photoshop" technique.
Same story on https://usesthis.com
It got to the point where many interviews overlapped so much they may as well have copy pasted and switched names.
Its pretty much based on how easy/effective it is for users to use and understand. A/B test what works and you find it aint much.
Oh and fighting the powers that be to try something new is not to be underestimated. I have had to make many many poor decisions because of owners etc simply based on their taste.
It might say more about you that you think their 'setups' define them.