Merge pull request #974 from mbifulco/news/neither-seen

feat: this article is neither seen nor heard

Author: mbifulco

src/data/newsletters/good-ux-is-invisible.mdx

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+---
+title: "Design's Shakespearean Curse: Good UX Should Never Be Noticed"
+excerpt: "The best UX design goes unnoticed. Learn how invisible design shapes digital experiences, and why great designers embrace the paradox of their work going unseen."
+date: 02-25-2025
+tags: [design, philosophy]
+slug: good-ux-is-invisible
+coverImagePublicId: newsletters/good-ux-is-invisible/cover
+---
+
+## The Big Idea
+
+Look around you. Everything - your chair, doorknobs, light switches - was deliberately designed, yet you've probably never thought about most of it.
+
+Why? Because great design fades into invisibility.
+
+<a href="https://www.paddle.com/resources/mobile-app-monetization-guide?utm_medium=website&utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=core_conversions_fy2025_web_monetization_brand_awareness&utm_content=tiny-improvements" className="text-xs lg:text-xs xl:text-xs">
+  Brought to you by Paddle
+</a>
+
+---
+
+A well-crafted door handle never gets praised - it just works. But struggle with a door that needs instructions (why do "Push" signs exist?), and suddenly design screams for attention.
+
+What did you like about the last stairwell handrail you used? Probably... nothing, right?
+
+You've used hundreds without a second thought. But grab one that's too high or wide, and you'll notice immediately.
+
+This is the Shakespearean curse of UX: The better you do your job, the less anyone sees you did it at all.
+
+## Where to Look for Invisible Design in Software
+
+This same principle defines great digital experiences. Here are three areas where invisible design matters most:
+
+### AI and Conversational Design
+
+Remember the first time you used ChatGPT? The interface was almost certainly not the thing that stood out - it was the quality of the answers you got. Nonetheless, the interface that surrounds any LLM you use has become a critical part of the experience.
+
+That's the pinnacle of conversational design: total invisibility.
+
+I spent a couple years working on Google Assistant in the pre-LLM times, when product teams would spend _countless_ hours trying to make a conversation with Assistant feel natural. It was a tall order, and it did not get there until Assistant entered a Bard-flavored chrysalis, and emerged a Gemini-powered Butterfly.
+
+### Traditional Interface Design
+
+Forms are invisible design's ultimate test. Nobody has ever hit "Submit" and felt a rush of joy -- but if you've ever been stuck on a page that _won't tell you what's wrong_, my god will you notice.
+
+Ever gotten lost trying to find your account and routing numbers on your bank's website? There it is again - someone's design work, begging for attention.
+
+### Friction as a feature
+
+There _are_ cases where putting an obstacle or two between someone and their goal is a good thing.
+
+Your phone's alarm clock is a great example - if it's _too_ easy to dismiss a wake-up alarm, they're far less effective.
+
+Similarly - a confirmation / "are you sure?" dialog is a good thing when doing something destructive, irreversible, or executing a financial transaction.
+
+## Notice me, senpai
+
+If good design is invisible, how the heck do you get better at it?
+
+As a designer, this becomes your burden: start paying attention to what you're *not* noticing. What apps/tools/processes have been so smooth you barely had to think?
+
+Study interfaces that fade away. Analyze forms you completed without cursing. Notice apps you use daily but couldn't describe if asked.
+
+You don't always need to make people say "wow" - and to be perfectly honest, if that's where you're _starting_ from, I'd be worried.
+
+Your best work will never get the praise it deserves because, if done right, no one will know you did anything at all.
+
+That's the beautiful curse of great design.
+
+---
+
+## Stop paying the app store tax.
+
+Sell your app on the web with lower fees and full control. As a merchant of record, Paddle handles payments, taxes, and compliance — so you can focus on what matters: building your app.
+
+Paddle acts as the reseller of your app, offering a solution similar to the App Store or Google Play Store but optimized for successfully selling your mobile app on the web, with significantly lower fees.
+
+[Start selling smarter with Paddle.](https://www.paddle.com/resources/mobile-app-monetization-guide?utm_medium=website&utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=core_conversions_fy2025_web_monetization_brand_awareness&utm_content=tiny-improvements)
+
+---
+
+## Tiny acts of Rebellion
+
+Current events got you down? Me too.
+
+Here's your reminder that unseen actions leave visible scars.
+
+🎯 Target execs recently showed off their liquid spines by axing DEI programs, which resulted in a [dramatic drop in store traffic](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/target-put-dei-chopping-block-182500865.html).
+
+Meanwhile, 98% of Costco shareholders confidently [voted to _preserve_ their DEI initiatives](https://www.axios.com/2025/01/23/costco-dei-shareholders-reject-anti-diversity-proposal).
+
+There's no gambling required to predict which company's Q1 earnings report will tell the better story.
+
+Often the most powerful design choices are the ones nobody sees happening - until the results become impossible to ignore.
+
+## Fill your brain with design
+
+If this resonates with you, here's some resources you'll appreciate:
+
+- [The Design of Everyday Things](https://amzn.to/43b4R8E) by Don Norman is _the_ book on this topic. Can't recommend it enough.
+
+- I rewatch [Do the Most Good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWivXkQpO2Q), a talk from legendary designer [Mina Markham](https://www.minamarkham.com/) about once a year. Mina is an icon, and her wisdom is worth learning from.
+
+
+Until next time - give 'em hell.
+Mike