The colonialism of tech
News around UX and more, recommended books
Bringing you the latest and greatest in UX industry related to wellbeing, mental health and psychological safety — this week plus my lens about them.
The colonialism of tech
Time and time again, we see the billionaire tech founder or CEO take the stage to present the latest innovation meant to make people’s lives better, revolutionize industries and glorify the power of technology to save the world. While these promises are dressed up in fancy new clothes, in reality, the tech sector is no different than other expansionist enterprises from the past. Their core foundation of growth and expansion is deeply rooted in the European and American colonialization and Manifest Destiny doctrines. And just as in the past, the tech sector is engaging in extraction, exploitation and expansion.
My take: As a designer originating in Asia Pacific, coming from a developing nation who had a taste of imperialism and colonisation, the deep trauma and mark of the past still lingers today even in tech. We are often seen as the “cheaper” place and exploitation is rampant. Good read.
How tech bros become villains
Why do techies make compelling anti-heroes?
“Because they genuinely are bad at understanding how they come across,” says Renée Shaw, a creator at German AI company Tl;dv, who lampoons founders like Sam Altman on LinkedIn. “The industry spent 15 years saying ‘we’re making the world a better place’ with a straight face. The lack of self-awareness is the joke.”
My take: The keyword is “lack of self-awareness”. Tech bros think they can change the world, they feel they are significantly better than others. They think technology can change everything. It’s all about unchecked power and the illusion of power.
Being a mindful designer
We kid ourselves into thinking that our craft requires us to be switched on all of the time and that in order to truly be fulfilled in our craft we need to be relentlessly creating for ourselves and other people.
Sometimes you have to start, other times you have to slow down. When do you know what’s right for you? That’s what Radim Malinic explores in his latest book, Mindful Creative.
My take: I once spoke to my ex-manager about the high pressure environment of the company. She then responded to say, “you don’t have to come in 100% everyday. Sometimes 80%, sometimes 50%,” and that resonated with me. In reality, I think she was more than 100% everyday — maybe just in a different standard than I was. It’s okay to not be 100% everytime.
How social media makes our life smaller
Kathryn Jezer-Morton, author of her latest book titled “The Story of Your Life”, argues that social media makes our life smaller. It scopes our lives down into “brand”, or “market research” — everybody is performing in a way. It simplifies our lives too much. Life is a complex situation, and social media pushes us to share and look at our lives in an overly simplistic way. Worth your hour.
My Figma burnout, a confession
At first, Figma felt like a revolution. Everyone was raving about it — collaborative, cloud-based, packed with features. It wasn’t just a tool; it was the future. Companies wanted Figma experts. Designers flexed their auto-layout skills like badges of honor. The industry clarified that if you weren’t using Figma, you were already behind.
So, I embraced it. I explored every new update, learned all the tricks, and mastered the design system approach. And for a while, it felt good. It was productive, efficient, and cutting-edge.
Then, reality set in.
I started noticing how much of my time was spent not designing but managing Figma itself. I wrestled with an auto-layout that didn’t behave as expected, fixed broken components that were supposed to make life easier, and tried to keep up with feature updates, not because they improved my workflow but because I needed to stay relevant.
My take: I don’t hate Figma. I don’t hate any tool (except, well, JIRA). I hate the fact that we have to follow certain standards and perfectionism to even use a tool that only documents, draws and communicates an idea. I was so frustrated coming in to a company where all the designers are just autolayout ninjas and very strict about components and layer naming.
See you next week!
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Consider subscribing, you will get at least a weekly update on things related to alternative views on UX. This blog is an attempt of me to refute, challenge or refresh what I’ve learned and observed about UX design as a career and industry, throughout my 15+ years career as a product designer. Read more about me, or visit my UX portfolio site.