I helped pioneer UX design. What I see today horrifies me

When user experience design became a full-blown industry in the early aughts, the future looked bright. The era was rife with experimentation, collaboration, and exploration into human behavior. But in the last 20 years, things have changed, writes UX designer Jesse James Garrett. Instead of revolutionizing design and solving deep-rooted problems, UX has been exploited by companies looking for easy solutions. Garrett argues that foundational UX can’t be scaled, as it doesn’t lend itself to replicable, cookie-cutter roles. This fundamentally puts it at odds with corporations looking for efficiencies at all costs. And there are no easy solutions. Read Garrett's piece here. — Co.Design Editors   I helped pioneer UX design. What I see today horrifies me Where did we go wrong?   READ MORE   Work looks nothing like it did two years ago. Slack’s new emojis prove it With a new custom emoji pack, Slack is banking that the future of work is hybrid.   READ MORE   This behind-the-scenes app keeps Walmart’s shelves stocked all the time The company is debuting a new augmented reality app for its employees. It’s barebones and brilliant.   READ MORE   These gorgeous vases are made from discarded plastic bags The world’s trash is this designer’s raw material.   READ MORE   From thatched huts to Wakanda, a massive new architectural guide explores Sub-Saharan Africa Philipp Meuser wanted to find a comprehensive look at the architecture of West Africa. When it didn’t exist, he and Adil Dalbai designed their own.   READ MORE

This gas station was just another abandoned building. Now it’s eye-popping op art   Artist Camille Walala’s influences for the project range from the Southern Ndebele Tribe Women of South Africa to Italy’s Memphis Movement.   READ MORE

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