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mostlysignssomeportents · 8 months

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How lock-in hurts design

Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28) for my book-talk after the first one sold out - book now!

If you've ever read about design, you've probably encountered the idea of "paving the desire path." A "desire path" is an erosion path created by people departing from the official walkway and taking their own route. The story goes that smart campus planners don't fight the desire paths laid down by students; they pave them, formalizing the route that their constituents have voted for with their feet.

Desire paths aren't always great (Wikipedia notes that "desire paths sometimes cut through sensitive habitats and exclusion zones, threatening wildlife and park security"), but in the context of design, a desire path is a way that users communicate with designers, creating a feedback loop between those two groups. The designers make a product, the users use it in ways that surprise the designer, and the designer integrates all that into a new revision of the product.

This method is widely heralded as a means of "co-innovating" between users and companies. Designers who practice the method are lauded for their humility, their willingness to learn from their users. Tech history is strewn with examples of successful paved desire-paths.

Take John Deere. While today the company is notorious for its war on its customers (via its opposition to right to repair), Deere was once a leader in co-innovation, dispatching roving field engineers to visit farms and learn how farmers had modified their tractors. The best of these modifications would then be worked into the next round of tractor designs, in a virtuous cycle:

https://securityledger.com/2019/03/opinion-my-grandfathers-john-deere-would-support-our-right-to-repair/

But this pattern is even more pronounced in the digital world, because it's much easier to update a digital service than it is to update all the tractors in the field, especially if that service is cloud-based, meaning you can modify the back-end everyone is instantly updated. The most celebrated example of this co-creation is Twitter, whose users created a host of its core features.

Retweets, for example, were a user creation. Users who saw something they liked on the service would type "RT" and paste the text and the link into a new tweet composition window. Same for quote-tweets: users copied the URL for a tweet and pasted it in below their own commentary. Twitter designers observed this user innovation and formalized it, turning it into part of Twitter's core feature-set.

Companies are obsessed with discovering digital desire paths. They pay fortunes for analytics software to produce maps of how their users interact with their services, run focus groups, even embed sneaky screen-recording software into their web-pages:

https://www.wired.com/story/the-dark-side-of-replay-sessions-that-record-your-every-move-online/

This relentless surveillance of users is pursued in the name of making things better for them: let us spy on you and we'll figure out where your pain-points and friction are coming from, and remove those. We all win!

But this impulse is a world apart from the humility and respect implied by co-innovation. The constant, nonconsensual observation of users has more to do with controlling users than learning from them.

That is, after all, the ethos of modern technology: the more control a company can exert over its users ,the more value it can transfer from those users to its shareholders. That's the key to enshittification, the ubiquitous platform decay that has degraded virtually all the technology we use, making it worse every day:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

When you are seeking to control users, the desire paths they create are all too frequently a means to wrestling control back from you. Take advertising: every time a service makes its ads more obnoxious and invasive, it creates an incentive for its users to search for "how do I install an ad-blocker":

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/adblocking-how-about-nah

More than half of all web-users have installed ad-blockers. It's the largest consumer boycott in human history:

https://doc.searls.com/2023/11/11/how-is-the-worlds-biggest-boycott-doing/

But zero app users have installed ad-blockers, because reverse-engineering an app requires that you bypass its encryption, triggering liability under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This law provides for a $500,000 fine and a 5-year prison sentence for "circumvention" of access controls:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones

Beyond that, modifying an app creates liability under copyright, trademark, patent, trade secrets, noncompete, nondisclosure and so on. It's what Jay Freeman calls "felony contempt of business model":

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

This is why services are so horny to drive you to install their app rather using their websites: they are trying to get you to do something that, given your druthers, you would prefer not to do. They want to force you to exit through the gift shop, you want to carve a desire path straight to the parking lot. Apps let them mobilize the law to literally criminalize those desire paths.

An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a felony to block ads in it (or do anything else that wrestles value back from a company). Apps are web-pages where everything not forbidden is mandatory.

Seen in this light, an app is a way to wage war on desire paths, to abandon the cooperative model for co-innovation in favor of the adversarial model of user control and extraction.

Corporate apologists like to claim that the proliferation of apps proves that users like them. Neoliberal economists love the idea that business as usual represents a "revealed preference." This is an intellectually unserious tautology: "you do this, so you must like it":

https://boingboing.net/2024/01/22/hp-ceo-says-customers-are-a-bad-investment-unless-they-can-be-made-to-buy-companys-drm-ink-cartridges.html

Calling an action where no alternatives are permissible a "preference" or a "choice" is a cheap trick – especially when considered against the "preferences" that reveal themselves when a real choice is possible. Take commercial surveillance: when Apple gave Ios users a choice about being spied on – a one-click opt of of app-based surveillance – 96% of users choice no spying:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/96-of-us-users-opt-out-of-app-tracking-in-ios-14-5-analytics-find/

But then Apple started spying on those very same users that had opted out of spying by Facebook and other Apple competitors:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Neoclassical economists aren't just obsessed with revealed preferences – they also love to bandy about the idea of "moral hazard": economic arrangements that tempt people to be dishonest. This is typically applied to the public ("consumers" in the contemptuous parlance of econospeak). But apps are pure moral hazard – for corporations. The ability to prohibit desire paths – and literally imprison rivals who help your users thwart those prohibitions – is too tempting for companies to resist.

The fact that the majority of web users block ads reveals a strong preference for not being spied on ("users just want relevant ads" is such an obvious lie that doesn't merit any serious discussion):

https://www.iccl.ie/news/82-of-the-irish-public-wants-big-techs-toxic-algorithms-switched-off/

Giant companies attained their scale by learning from their users, not by thwarting them. The person using technology always knows something about what they need to do and how they want to do it that the designers can never anticipate. This is especially true of people who are unlike those designers – people who live on the other side of the world, or the other side of the economic divide, or whose bodies don't work the way that the designers' bodies do:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/20/benevolent-dictators/#felony-contempt-of-business-model

Apps – and other technologies that are locked down so their users can be locked in – are the height of technological arrogance. They embody a belief that users are to be told, not heard. If a user wants to do something that the designer didn't anticipate, that's the user's fault:

https://www.wired.com/2010/06/iphone-4-holding-it-wrong/

Corporate enthusiasm for prohibiting you from reconfiguring the tools you use to suit your needs is a declaration of the end of history. "Sure," John Deere execs say, "we once learned from farmers by observing how they modified their tractors. But today's farmers are so much stupider and we are so much smarter that we have nothing to learn from them anymore."

Spying on your users to control them is a poor substitute asking your users their permission to learn from them. Without technological self-determination, preferences can't be revealed. Without the right to seize the means of computation, the desire paths never emerge, leaving designers in the dark about what users really want.

Our policymakers swear loyalty to "innovation" but when corporations ask for the right to decide who can innovate and how, they fall all over themselves to create laws that let companies punish users for the crime of contempt of business-model.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/24/everything-not-mandatory/#is-prohibited

Image: Belem (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Desire_path_%2819811581366%29.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #desire paths #design #drm #everything not mandatory is prohibited #apps #ip #innovation #user innovation #technological self-determination #john deere #twitter #felony contempt of business model

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avisaurea2 · 1 year

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You guys are still following me even though I don't draw that often

This is actually interesting

#I am just trying to find a job lol #while not studying at the uni AND instead studying web design #very smart of me am i right #i just want to buy a new graphic tablet soooooo

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reversedout-blog · 1 year

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Case Study: New smart school entrepreneurship curriculum design in 2023

It was a source of great excitement for Reversed Out to develop a useful curriculum design process for Classical Academy that was tailored to the requirements of our customers.

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This was a departure from the typical web design, graphic design, digital marketing and SEO projects we are most familiar with. We did however use some page layout skills to put the final document together in a simple black and white, easily printable document that is small and size and easy to email.

The first step of our approach is collaborating closely with our customers to determine the specific requirements and goals they have. After that, we develop a specialized curriculum design process that is effective by doing comprehensive study and drawing upon the wealth of knowledge that our team collectively possesses.

In this regard, our collaboration with Cincinnati Classical Academy was typical. We worked together with a school administrator to build a rigorous CCA-Entrepreneurship-Program that would provide students with a solid basis for establishing and expanding their own firms in the future.

This curriculum design model was developed by developing similar personas to the school’s students, parents, and faculty and keeping those in mind. Because of this procedure, we have a far better awareness of the specific difficulties and requirements posed by the institution.

We researched the current state of entrepreneurship education as well as the specific requirements and challenges faced by traditional liberal arts institutions in order to develop a novel curriculum design that integrates the liberal arts school’s emphasis on the humanities, sciences, and arts with the principles of entrepreneurship. Our goal was to create a learner-centered curriculum design that emphasizes the integration of these three subject areas.

The members of our group placed a special emphasis on the following four qualities: mentality, skills, knowledge, and experience. We developed lessons that would encourage students to think like entrepreneurs by encouraging them to question established knowledge, take calculated risks, and be resilient in the face of setbacks. In addition to this, we highlighted the need to always conduct oneself in an ethical and moral manner, as well as further one’s education.

Case studies, group projects, and presentations are some of the learning activities that have been integrated into the curriculum design to assist students in developing skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.

The content of the course was designed with the intention of not only providing students with a fundamental understanding of the fundamentals of business, marketing, finance, and economics, but also of inspiring students to think creatively, independently, and adaptable.

Before students could be considered ready for entrepreneurial endeavors, our team was aware that they required experience working in a real-world commercial environment. Real-world experiences where students may put their talents to use have been incorporated into the curriculum design in order to satisfy this need. These real-world experiences include internships, mentorship programs, and business contests.

Reversed Out and Cincinnati Classical Academy worked together to build a cutting-edge entrepreneurship program that equips the school’s students to compete successfully in the global market. This was accomplished via our joint effort with an administrator at the school.

We had carte blanc in many cases from Cincinnati Classical Academy based on our founder Adam Koehler’s experience as an entrepreneur himself. The method and strategy that we use when building curricula allowed us to provide a product that was tailored to the specific fundamentals of the school and gave students the resources they require to be successful.

The Problem:

The fact that entrepreneurship is still a relatively new field of study in K-12 schools, with limited resources and proven methods available to guide the development process, added another layer of difficulty to the already difficult task of developing an entrepreneurial curriculum for a traditional liberal arts institution.

In addition, there was a distinct obstacle provided by the requirement to strike a balance between an emphasis on traditional liberal arts and an emphasis on practical, real-world business skills and expertise.

The group was tasked with coming up with a solution to the problem of designing a course of study that would not only be interesting and educational for students but would also equip them with the skills necessary to compete successfully in the dynamic and interconnected global economy of today.

There was a possibility that the course material might turn out to be excessively theoretical and insufficiently practical or vice versa, and as a result, the students would not be adequately prepared for the issues they will confront in the real world.

In order to address these challenges, the team relied on extensive research, which included a review of existing entrepreneurship education models and programs, to identify best practices and design an innovative curriculum that would strike a balance between a focus on traditional liberal arts and a practical, hands-on approach to the education of entrepreneurs.

The team also worked through the content on the Cincinnati Classical Academy website, toured the facilities, and met with key members of the staff to guarantee that the curriculum design was adapted to meet the specific requirements and objectives of the institution.

What It Is That You Need To Do

You should begin the process of introducing an entrepreneurial education program at your school by putting together a group of seasoned businesspeople and educators who are able to collaborate on the development and delivery of the program’s educational content.

It is essential to include members of the teaching and administrative staff from all areas of the school in the process, as this will guarantee that the program is adapted to meet the specific requirements and objectives of your particular establishment.

After you have your team together, you should perform a comprehensive study on the already available entrepreneurship education models and programs, and then identify best practices and techniques that are able to be tailored to your school’s particular requirements and objectives. In order to do this, it may be necessary to enlist the assistance of external specialists and consultants who, throughout the process, may provide direction and support.

You should prioritize the creation of a program that places an emphasis on the development of an entrepreneurial attitude, practical skills, and real-world experience as you work on developing the curriculum for the course.

This may involve incorporating case studies, group projects, and internships into the curriculum, as well as providing opportunities for mentorship and entrepreneurial challenges that give students the chance to apply the skills and knowledge they have recently acquired in a setting that more closely resembles the real world.

In addition, it is essential to conduct frequent assessments and evaluations of the efficacy of the program in order to guarantee that it is catering to the requirements of the students and producing the results that were anticipated. This may entail gathering input from students, parents, and instructors, in addition to measuring the growth and accomplishment of children over the course of time.

You may guarantee that your students are prepared with the skills, information, and mentality necessary to thrive as entrepreneurs in today’s global market by continually refining and upgrading the curriculum. This will allow you to meet the needs of your students.

Curriculum Design: Mindset Solution

The development of an entrepreneurial attitude is critical to the success of any program intended to teach entrepreneurship. Developing an entrepreneurial mentality in students involves more than merely instructing them on how to launch and manage a company; rather, it involves fostering a style of thinking that stimulates creativity, invention, risk-taking, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

At Cincinnati Classical Academy, the curriculum design places an emphasis on the significance of encouraging students to utilize their imagination, attempt new things, and embrace failure as a chance to learn and grow.

This is done with the goal of helping students develop an entrepreneurial attitude. Because entrepreneurs need to be able to pivot and alter their plans when unanticipated obstacles emerge, we also emphasize the need of being adaptable and flexible.

In addition, they stress the significance of being socially and ethically responsible when engaging in entrepreneurial endeavors. Their lessons include talks about the ways in which businesspeople may utilize their expertise and resources to have a beneficial effect not just on the areas in which they operate but also on the globe at large.

The school aims to instill in students the understanding that being an entrepreneur is about more than simply generating money; it’s also about adding value to the world around you and making a difference in people’s lives.

Lastly, the school and the team at Reversed Out Creative are of the opinion that cultivating an entrepreneurial mentality is not just essential for students who want to launch their own companies, but that it is also an invaluable collection of skills and attitudes that can be applied to every vocation or endeavor undertaken in one’s life.

By creating a sense of entrepreneurship in our children, we are helping to better prepare them for success in whatever endeavors they decide to pursue in the future.

Curriculum Design: Skills

The development of the skills component of the entrepreneurship program was preceded by an in-depth design process that took into consideration the students’ individual necessities and expectations, in addition to the dynamic nature of the contemporary commercial landscape.

This involved extensive research on the direction of schools and requirements for future business leaders to build a curriculum that is comprehensive, engaging, and effective in training students to become successful, responsible, and ethical owners and operators.

In order for students to be successful in the real world of business, we’ve created our curriculum to teach them the fundamental skills that they’ll need. We began by determining the most important talents that successful business owners have, such as the ability to think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, and work well with others.

After that, we devised a selection of projects, activities, and exercises with the intention of assisting students in the growth and improvement of the aforementioned competencies.

Students have the opportunity to put their newly gained knowledge and abilities to use in a variety of contexts thanks to the participatory nature of our curriculum, which places an emphasis on real-world examples and case studies.

We also made it possible for students to participate in collaborative projects, providing them the opportunity to hone their abilities in areas such as communication and cooperation while also gaining knowledge from their fellow students.

Throughout the course of the program, we placed a strong emphasis on the importance of learning through hands-on experience. We gave the students numerous opportunities to interact with local businesses, work on projects that have a direct bearing on the real world, and gain hands-on experience in the field of entrepreneurship.

Our objective was to provide students with a well-rounded education that would not only equip them for success in the commercial world but also success in life in general.

The skills component of the entrepreneurship program is a reflection of our dedication to equipping students with the resources they need to be successful in the business world. We believe that by concentrating on the development of critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills, we can empower students to become not simply great entrepreneurs, but also responsible and active members of society.

Students will get the knowledge and abilities necessary to succeed in today’s fast-evolving business environment by participating in our curriculum design, which is meant to be interesting, interactive, and hands-on.

Curriculum Design: Knowledge

Students in the entrepreneurship program at Cincinnati Classical Academy are required to have a strong foundation of knowledge in addition to cultivating an entrepreneurial mentality and polishing practical skills in order to become successful business owners after completing the program.

Because of this, the curriculum design that we provide places a strong emphasis on the significance of gaining a varied set of business-related information that will equip students to be successful in a variety of different fields.

Our curriculum design covers a wide range of disciplines, including marketing, finance, accounting, and economics, as well as other business-related areas such as strategy, leadership, and innovation. We place a significant amount of importance on comprehending the dynamic nature of the corporate world and maintaining a level of familiarity with the most recent tendencies, technologies, and market circumstances.

Case studies, group projects, and interactive conversations are just some of the activities and instructional methods that we have implemented into our curriculum in order to meet these objectives and make the most of its potential.

In addition, we have included technology in our teaching methodology by making use of internet resources, simulation software, and various other forms of digital apparatus in order to enrich the educational experiences of our students and maintain their interest.

Students are encouraged to think creatively and independently as part of our program, which is another vital feature of our curriculum design. We urge students to think critically and come up with their own ideas and solutions to business challenges rather than mere memorization of data and formulae. By doing so, students are better equipped to confront the difficulties of the corporate world with confidence and ingenuity.

Ultimately, our objective is to instill in students a profound awareness of the concepts and practices of entrepreneurship, and to provide them with the information and skills they need to thrive in whatever business endeavor they pursue.

Curriculum Design: Experience

We shall carry out continual research and assessments in order to guarantee that the program continues to meet our needs and is successful. As part of this procedure, input will be gathered from students, instructors, and other staff members at Cincinnati Classical Academy in order to identify areas in which improvements are needed and to determine how best to implement those improvements.

In addition, we will make it a regular habit to analyze the current state of entrepreneurship education and make any necessary adjustments to our course offerings so that we can stay at the forefront of this quickly developing subject.

By these measures, we are convinced that the entrepreneurship program at Cincinnati Classical Academy will continue to expand and improve over time, giving students with the information and experience they need to thrive in the competitive world of business.

In the future years, when our students will graduate and begin to apply the information and skills they have gained via participation in this program, we cannot wait to observe the outcomes of this initiative.

We have no doubt that they will be well-prepared for the difficulties they will encounter as entrepreneurs, and we look forward to hearing about their triumphs.

Overall, we are very pleased with the work that we have done in collaboration with Cincinnati Classical Academy to develop a curriculum design in entrepreneurship that is suited to their particular requirements and objectives.

We are delighted to continue our collaboration with other educational institutions to produce educational programs through curriculum design that are as successful and influential as the ones we have already developed for preparing students for the workforce of the 21st century.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the establishment of an entrepreneurial program at Cincinnati Classical School presented an unanticipated challenge that required collaborative, innovative problem-solving on the part of the students.

We were able to design a curriculum that fully prepares students to compete successfully in today’s business world by conducting extensive research and putting an emphasis on the student’s growth in the areas of mindset, skills, knowledge, and experience.

Because of the ground-breaking entrepreneurial curriculum design that we provide at Cincinnati Classical Academy, we are confident that this school will continue to garner acclaim as one of the nation’s preeminent educational facilities for a classical and liberal arts education.

#Smart School Entrepreneurship Curriculum #Web Design Curriculum for School #Graphic Design Curriculum #Digital Marketing Curriculum #SEO Curriculum

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kirensmartservices1 · 2 years

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2023: Digital Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore

The year 2023 has come and with it, comes a new set of digital marketing trends that you can’t ignore. With the ever-evolving digital landscape, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared for what lies ahead. From AI-driven marketing strategies to the rise of voice search and virtual reality, there’s a lot to keep up with. In this blog post, we will be exploring the top digital marketing trends of 2023 and how you can use them to your advantage. We’ll also provide some tips on how to future-proof your digital marketing strategy to stay ahead of the competition.

AI-Driven Marketing

Artificial intelligence is set to become a major marketing trend by 2023. Marketing is already using AI technology to automate tasks, provide personalized customer experiences, and provide predictive analytics. The capabilities of artificial intelligence will continue to make it a more powerful tool for digital marketing.

AI-driven marketing allows marketers to make smarter decisions faster, get insights into customer behavior, and tailor campaigns to individual users. AI can also be used to optimize content, manage customer relationships, and improve customer service.

Voice Search

Voice search is another digital marketing trend that will be taking off in 2023. Voice search is becoming increasingly popular with both consumers and businesses. As people become more used to speaking directly to their devices, more searches will be conducted through voice commands. This means that companies need to optimize their content for voice search and create content that provides answers to users’ questions.

Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising is also set to become a major trend in 2023. With more people spending time on social media, it’s becoming an increasingly important platform for businesses to target potential customers. Social media advertising allows businesses to reach users based on their interests and demographics. It’s also a great way to build customer relationships and increase brand awareness.

Video Content

Video content is becoming increasingly popular and is set to be a major trend in 2023. Especially short video content seems to engage with more viewers because people are less likely to give importance to long videos as they are more time taking. Short Video content allows businesses to engage with customers in a more personal and engaging way. It’s also a great way to reach a larger audience and get more visibility. Video content can be used for product demonstrations, tutorials, customer testimonials, and more. Video content are more likely to go viral and can be used to build brand awareness. To get the most out of video content, you should focus on creating engaging, high-quality videos that are optimized for social media, YouTube, and other platforms.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is another digital marketing trend that is set to take off in 2023. Influencer marketing is a great way to reach a large and engaged audience. Businesses can work with influencers to create content that will help promote their products and services. Influencers have a lot of influence over their followers and can be a powerful tool for building brand awareness.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) is the most popular digital marketing trend that will be taking off in 2023 and will increase more in the future. VR offers businesses the opportunity to create immersive experiences for their customers. Businesses can use VR to create virtual tours of their products, demonstrate how to use their products, and more. VR is an excellent way to engage customers and give them an interactive experience.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) is another digital marketing trend that is set to become popular in 2023. AR allows businesses to create experiences in which digital content is overlaid on top of real-world environments. It combines the real world with generated characters by computer, right from your smartphone. Businesses can use AR to provide customers with a more interactive experience and make engaging with their products easier.

Chatbots

Chatbots are also becoming a major trend in 2023. Chatbots are AI-driven programs that can be used to automate customer service tasks like bots. They can answer questions, provide customer service, and even make personalized product recommendations. Chatbots are becoming increasingly popular and can be a great way to improve customer service and engagement.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the top digital marketing trends of 2023. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared for what lies ahead. By staying up-to-date with the latest trends and using them to your advantage, you can ensure that your digital marketing strategy is future-proof and ready to take on the competition. experience. You can use videos to explain products and services, showcase customer testimonials, and demonstrate how to use a product.

#kiren smart services #digital marketing services #best digital marketing company #best web design company in bangalore #best web development comapany

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