+Issue 101
User Experience
*Opens mom’s phone*
Or, what a wrestling meme can teach us about empathizing with older users
I was on TikTok for 30 days: it is manipulative, addictive, and harmful to privacy
What is behind the extraordinary growth and usage of the app
We live in notification hell
You can check in, but you can’t check out
Tech
The Age of Brain-Computer Interfaces Is on the Horizon
Synchron has implanted its BCI in a US patient for the first time—bringing it a big step closer to distribution.
In-house teams: how Nothing is hoping to build an ecosystem to rival Apple
Nothing’s design director Adam Bates discusses the company’s ambitions, managing teams across China and Sweden.
Amazon buys Roomba company iRobot for $1.7bn – cue lots of alarmist articles about surveillance and speculative tweets. The vacuuming robot would join the voice assistant Alexa, the Astro robot and Ring security cameras and others in the list of smart home features offered by Amazon. However the deal is likely to draw a tough review from the US Federal Trade Commission
AI & Machine Learning
Comparing DALL·E 2, Midjourney, and Wombo: UX implications
The intersection of experience design and AI for digital art: where are we headed?
Design
Armin Hofmann
Through his extensive design and educational work, Armin Hofmann (1920–2020) is considered one of the most influential graphic designers in Switzerland. He made a significant contribution to the international reputation of Swiss graphic design and influenced generations of graphic designers and teachers around the world.
In celebration of Armin’s 100th birthday in June 2020, his son Matthias Hofmann, also a graphic designer, published the book Armin Hofmann. Reduction. Ethics. Didactics.
“It’s put us on the map”: why design studios are becoming B Corps
Design Week spoke to designers about all things B Corp – from the challenging application process to how the certification has changed studio work.
Typography
Can you spot guerrilla adverts for the new Rapha typeface at these major cycling events?
Originally designed for the cycling brand, Frame is a headline-geared typeface, launched this year via unexpected placards at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.