Products are lacking soul this days. Every business is extremely driving towards growth, we know business need to make money to keep the fire burning, but not at the detriment of making life harder for the people you promise to take care of. The phrase "money is the root to all evil" stands out here more than ever. Lately, majority of the tech I use, the big and the indies hacker, they all have been really frustrating to say the least. Cookies, paywalls, ads, outrageous subscriptions and unnecessary “fugazi” that leaves one wondering what’s the essence of it all. The roots of these problems pointed to just one thing — money!
How it all begin
What if we take a step back, and asked ourselves, what’s the goal of it all, why did we decide to start a business? Earlier it used to be about making something that helps other solves a problem, or solve a pressing issue, providing a solution you we will like to see in the world. When did we kill this purpose, where did the hunger to suck life out of people we claim to care about become rampant? Before tech, most of the solution created was tailored to just one thing, one thing only — to solve a problems, do something that will make life easy for others. That is lacking today, tools are made to suck life out of people, and the people like me and you who experience it all both the sweet side when it all started, to the worst side were seeing now.
Product are barely usable without headaches and anxiety, we are solving one problem and creating another one for people we claim to care about. Love is no longer poured into software. I recently tried to cancel my ClassPass membership and the number of steps I have to take is unbelievable absurd, 8+ steps. I am required to scroll to the bottom of it all before I can even click a button.
Research shows that 60% of inherited wealth is lost by the second generation and 90% by the third. So what’s the fuss and the fixation on chasing growth and billions?! The most you can spend in your lifetime is ~$5m. The point is we need to actually start building product that help us all.
The lack of accessibility
The most accessible in accessibility that we all are clamouring for is by making our tools accessible to all in the first place! No love is pour into software and services anymore. One example that comes to mind is the Google Map App, and the culprit here is the map, first I cannot mention the amount of time I have been directed to the worst place, or should I mentioned when searching for specific locations and you’re bombarded with irrelevant Ads that is not related to what you are looking for. If the most simple things like our navigation app that is supposed to make life easy for all, is already this messed up with ads, complexity, imagine the one that are tailored to profit. Website experienced is a battle with cookies and pops ads, every website looks the same and the one that tried to be different will frustrate you with unnecessary interactions. A simple software, want to make money over you through out your lifetime by hooking you up with unnecessary subscriptions. All in the name of growth and profit!
Google Map refusing to show the important details — distance. And all the recommended location are 7km+ away.
Why this is bad!
I have had to recently canceled my Adobe software subscriptions because I can’t afford it anymore. This is a loud cry for help. Majority are struggling. The amount of money we are paying for services are not worth it anymore, we used to own software outrightly. Where did we stumbled.
I implore us to start asking important question at the core of strategy, a simple question of “Why are we doing this?” and putting humans back at the center of design and services we offer, let’s bring art and love back to our services and tools like the people that precedes us, building an actual tools at a fraction that still works until today with care for humanity, we need to bring back caring about the people that we serve than people who’ve made profit and expecting the number to even multiply.
This is unfiltered, I just wanted to rant after my Google Map app misdirect me multiple times, and refuse to show me a nearby service I requested for, and a fitness subscription won’t let me cancel until my 8th clicks. We need to do better.
Thanks for reading!