Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.

“In November 2022, Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, began a tweet thread with “I’ve heard you loud and clear” in response to a customer backlash over the way they hid additional costs till the checkout page. “You feel like prices aren’t transparent…starting next month, you’ll be able to see the total price you’re paying upfront” he said about a change that could be made urgently in a day or carefully over a few.

The deceptive pattern was no mistake. That’s not empathy; at best, it’s apathy; at worst, it’s hate. The decision to fix it only came after the balance of business value and public relations started to tip the wrong way. Chesky presented himself as a model CEO doing right by his customers as if he wasn’t responsible for wronging them in the first place. People bought it, too. He demonstrated how bright a performative aura of care can shine to hide questions about the business activity or even questions about the business’s legitimacy to exist.”

The aura of care in UX →
By Stephen Farrugia