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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 18h

The pretzels into which they twist themselves to try to be the victims. Which is an ironically hilarious thing to say, because that's what THEY say about US. But this time it's ACTUALLY true!

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Reposted by Smitha

John Skiles Skinner @skiles.blue · 20h

Screenshots are from civilrights.justice.gov

This hurts me because the Civil Rights reporting tool was an 18F project, one of our crown jewels. We conducted extensive user research to build a tool that people from all walks of life would trust.

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Reposted by Smitha

John Skiles Skinner @skiles.blue · 20h

Before: a visual history of civil rights in the U.S. including people of all kinds. A report button that actually worked.

After: Removed all the people; the report button is grayed out. No more "woke" stuff on the website -- in other words, no more civil rights at the Civil Rights Division.

A screenshot from an older version of https://civilrights.justice.gov/ which includes photos of anti-racist and anti-homophobia activists and a girl dressed as the Statue of Liberty.

A screenshot from the current version of https://civilrights.justice.gov/ which has no images. The "start a report" button is not working.

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 19h

Um, what the fuck

John Skiles Skinner @skiles.blue · 20h

The administration has added another layer of Orwellian vandalism to the DOJ Civil Rights website.

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

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Reposted by Smitha

Tony Barnes | RetroNinja @retroninja.bsky.social · 1d

This is TOO TRUE.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE games that stop the game with a giant pop-up and require you to push a button to continue.

But it seems that today you HAVE TO do that, because nobody will read anything if you don't.

#gamedesign #gamedevelopment #ui #ux

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 19h

There's a #UX tie-in: the interfaces were almost all mechanical. Very few digital/visual interfaces, which reflects the 70s-80s era of real-world technology. And lots of widespread engineering/mechanical knowledge. I wonder how we went down this visual-heavy path of abstracted/hidden function?

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 19h

Started rewatching Andor last night to build up to the latest season. As "over" Star Wars I am, it's such a familiar and comfortable aesthetic. The sound effects, utili-chic fashion, and used future. The music is just really jarring compared to John Williams. But I know it's all intentional.

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

I know I'm getting old when I get anxious about either ASICS retiring this shoe line or Dr. Scholl's retiring the specific orthotics I use. Or - worst-case - both. (Before you suggest them, Superfeet do nothing for me.)

Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

My go-tos are ASICS GT-1000s. I did the Shikoku Pilgrimage in them and would gladly wear them if/when I do it again. I wish I'd have known to bring several pairs, or at least noted the model, because when they wore out, I got ASICS Gel Cumulus next...which wore out in a week and messed up my knees.

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

It's time to replace my main running (lol) shoes, and it seems that shoe brands are also embracing the "refreshed 80s" look. Bulky white form, shiny grey mesh uppers, plastic stripes...

Why are they aiming for "unfashionable 80s dad who embarrasses me at school?" That's not remotely aspirational.

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Reposted by Smitha

Matt Kane at ViteConf 🇳🇱 @mk.gg · 3d

My entry for the @nordcraft.com bad UX date picker challenge. Drag the Earth around the sun to pick the date. Bad, enough for you @whitep4nth3r.com?

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

The source of these quotes is Imran Afzal, a principal designer who focuses on design systems.

It feels so good to hear others delve into these topics. (I wanted to say "articulate these topics" but didn't want to inadvertently reference his story about being called articulate after a talk...)

Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

"Design can't fix the world, but design can take the steps to really dissect these difficult conversations...when it comes to racism...in our society or [in design/tech spaces], we need to talk about these things. More people need to open up and share how they experience...and deal with things."

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

I had to edit the quote just for space purposes.

He also said something I've felt for a LONG time: the tech world has made it so that UX can't properly represent the users and the real people in product strategy and decision-making. Products stopped focusing on the users who may use them.

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

"Before we even design the product, we really want to understand the people that hopefully will use it, to understand how they think [and] feel...why are they even in this space looking to buy from us?...what's driven them to this moment where they would [consider using] one of our products?"

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

And Imran makes excellent points that accessibility is not just about disabilities, but about whether a product takes different diverse identities into account and doesn't overtly default to whiteness, affluence, or "people like them." Through stock photos, copy/language, and so many subtle things.

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

In the racism episode, I knew every single reference and anecdote he made. When he mentioned the person who asked him about his heritage, I literally mouthed along, "No, where are you really from?"

As @harikondabolu.bsky.social said, they're really asking, "Why aren't you white?"

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

Found a UX podcast called Systems of Harm by @amyhupe.bsky.social, about how design systems can perpetuate elements of systemic harm inadvertently. Most episodes were recorded in 2023 and it's still so relevant. It resumed this week with an interview with @gerireid.com.

systems-of-harm.fireside.fm

Systems of Harm

Design systems are the systems of tools, processes and practices that we use to create digital products, like websites and applications. But can design systems play a role in perpetuating systemic har...

systems-of-harm.fireside.fm

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 2d

Got it. Thanks!

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 3d

Heck yeah, New York.

(a few F-bombs and NSFW illustrations, but mostly benign.)

#AI #ResponsibleAI #Broligarchy #EthicalAI #enshittification

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 3d

Gallery of Friend graffiti 👀

all reviews

all friend.com reviews by NYC

nyc-friends.vercel.app

Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 3d

I seriously need to use the [email protected] trick more often when signing up online for stuff, so I know who to blame for all this freaking spam. Not every site allows it, but enough do that it's still so useful.

Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 3d

Are mockups acceptable from non-developer UX designers? I'd like to build on a ridiculous one I ran into recently.

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Reposted by Smitha

Tombmas Spooks @thomasfuchs.at · 3d

Any user interface element in any app should, by law, have to disclose if your data goes anywhere that's not directly in said app, in minimum font size and contrast; perhaps with some standardized icons.

We list ingredients on food and composition on clothing; why don't we do this for data?

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Smitha @smithakp.bsky.social · 3d

What do these look like when they're smaller (their actual working sizes)? I'm relying on colors to tell them apart right now. And per colorblindness testing sites, that is really not good enough.

Adobe got it right with their icons. Microsoft should've embraced the letters, not the images.

Reposted by Smitha

Devindra Hardawar @devindra.bsky.social · 4d

Microsoft: “Let’s make the Office icons unintelligible and watch the fools squirm”

Tom Warren @tomwarren.co.uk · 4d

Microsoft’s new Office icons are now available in TestFlight versions of Excel, Word, and PowerPoint on iOS

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