Words of Mine

UX Marketing Entries & Commentary Poetry

Humans & Politics Design

Think of a hunter and gatherer from a few thousand years ago craving a late-night snack—perhaps a luxurious handful of berries gathered earlier. Fast forward to the present; same craving, different world. Standing now in a supermarket in front of countless options. Taste notes that a hunter and gatherer couldn't fathom. A person who has never tasted processed cacao, not knowing what an Oreo biscuit filled with condensed milk substance is, or who has yet to discover spices and initiate wars to control their trade. Now stands in front of a range of options between sweets and salty snacks and a phone touch away from numerous complex cuisines developed across civilisations of the world and cultures across diverse continents, from pizza to sushi to chicken biryani, that can be delivered to their doorstep in minutes.

The levels of food consumption advancement has exploded through science and engineering but so does all sorts of entertainment delivery through user experience (UX) design today.

Like food is no longer bread and butter or a hand-full of berries, so is entertainment no longer a book and a reader. It is layers of complex engagement and consumption features, each crafted for the maximum amount of dopamine release. Video, audio, likes, comments, shares, replies etc.

Nevertheless, It is not only an open ocean of consumption options. It is the complexity of the ingredients itself. Again think of the first ever cultivated wild tomatoes 7,000 years ago, the size of blueberries compared to modern day tomatoes with thousands of varieties ranging in an average size of 2-3 inches.

Food is bred and carefully developed by teams of scientists and researchers into processed recipes to supply the perfect complementary notes of fats, salts, sugar, juiciness, crispness, and orosensation of condiments. Aiming to hit the consumer’s 'bliss point' and maximize their indulgence as much as possible.

In the realm of entertainment consumption, the array of recognized and standardized UX features has not only increased to meet the sophisticated IQ and pattern recognition* skills of today's users but has also evolved within each feature itself. For instance, beyond simply saving Instagram posts, users can now organize them into separate collections or even create shared collections with friends, fostering a higher level of user engagement. Each UX feature has undergone its own curve of advancement, and this trend is likely to persist. A progression no different from the first wild berry-sized tomato gathered to the “Red Beefsteak” tomato cultivated for your burger today.

*Take a look at the basic three dash burger menu (button ≡), a 4 year old child now knows how to use it and instantly recognises its functionality even in a newly encountered interface.