Today, we’re trading our usual interviews for a Halloween story straight out of every designer’s worst nightmare: The Infinite Usability Test.

Meet Evelyn—a mid-level UX researcher running a morning of user tests that won’t quit. Every time she adjusts the design, another “Alex” walks in and repeats the same fateful words: “I can’t find the button.”

As the day unravels, Evelyn realizes she’s stuck in more than a bad sprint—she’s caught in a validation loop. Each fix only pulls her deeper into the same mistakes, and each round of testing brings her face-to-face with the one insight she’s been avoiding all along.

Because sometimes, the scariest thing in UX isn’t user feedback…
It’s hearing something you didn’t expect.

Join us for a hauntingly familiar tale about deadlines, doubt, and the difference between proving you’re right and learning that you’re not.

Will Evelyn escape the room—or will she keep testing until the end of time?

Tune in to find out… if you dare.

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The post In the Dark: The Infinite Usability Test appeared first on Retro Time.

Listen for a wild ride through Silicon Valley’s dark side in our special Halloween episode. We’re trading our usual insights for incantations as we follow the misadventures of Sarah, Mike, and Emily, a UX team at the unicorn startup TechNova. Their world is turned upside down when they meet Mr. Deville, a new stakeholder who brings new meaning to the phrase “design from hell.”

Our intrepid team faces challenges that would make even the most seasoned UX professional weep: interfaces that change on their own, product roadmaps possessed by demons, and stakeholder requests that defy the laws of physics (and good design). As they realize the true nature of their predicament, they must use every UX trick in the book – and perhaps invent a few new ones – to save their product and their souls.

This episode is a tongue-in-cheek look at the sometimes hellish world of UX design, startup culture, and stakeholder management. It’s packed with laughs, gasps, and maybe even a few valuable lessons about staying true to good design principles, no matter how devilish the circumstances. Don’t miss this hilarious and horrifying journey into the dark side of UX!

So go ahead and give it a listen… If you dare!

—–

Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton.

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The post In the Dark: The Stakeholder from Hell appeared first on Retro Time.

No one likes one-play toilet paper. Yet it’s everywhere. It’s in just about every public or institutional toilet across the world.

This begs the question, if no one likes one-play toilet paper, why is it everywhere?

Well, I think it’s simple.

The people who pay for the toilet paper aren’t the ones who have to use it.

And it’s not too unlike enterprise software when you think about it.

The people who get stuck using enterprise software have very little say in what tools they’re supposed to use every day. The people who pay for the software are rarely the ones who have to use it. Not to mention enterprise software is usually seen as a cost-center, not a profit-center. So there is very little incentive to bake quality in from the beginning.

This week Derek and Jeremy dig into this conundrum and talk through some potential solutions to this unique problem.

Topics:
• 03:00 – The Analogy of One-Ply Toilet Paper and Enterprise Software
• 20:00 – Building Better Software and the Importance of Empathy
• 27:00 – Creating Empathy and Relationships in the Workplace
• 31:00 – Turning Knuckleheads into Stallions
• 31:28 – Building Great Software Requires Focus and Vision
• 32:27 – Empathy and Skill are Essential for Solving Problems
• 33:40 – Assuming Positive Intent and Encouraging Effort
• 34:09 – The Challenge of Leadership Problems
• 35:03 – Lack of Vision and Strategy as Leadership Problems
• 36:38 – The Need for Empowering Employees to Speak Up
• 39:30 – The Iceberg of Ignorance and Incentives for Silence
• 41:40 – The Lack of Democracy in the Workplace
• 48:26 – Leadership’s Role in Building Better Software

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Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton.

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The post 78. A Thin Line: The Rough Reality of Enterprise Software appeared first on Retro Time.

Today, we’re stepping away from our usual interviews and discussions to bring you a special Halloween treat.

This is the story of Ethan. A talented UX designer so committed to creating the perfect prototype that he becomes consumed by it—so much so that he loses himself in his work… Never to be seen again.

😱

Two brave interns hear about Ethan’s tale and decide to unravel the mystery. What they discover is beyond anything they could have imagined.

Whether you’re a junior UX designer, a career shifter, or even a seasoned pro, this episode should serve as a cautionary tale. It’s a haunting reminder of what can happen when we lose ourselves in our work and the dangers of focusing on perfection at all costs.

So go ahead and give it a listen… If you dare!

—–

Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton.

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The post In the Dark: The Tale of the Cursed Prototype appeared first on Retro Time.

Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale. A tale of a woman who isn’t quite careful about what she does with her personal information while browsing the internet.

Do you think you’re safe online? Do you pay close attention to the websites you visit?

Unscrupulous UX designers might use some dirty tactics to trick you into doing their evil bidding.

Don’t fall for these dirty tricks. Find out how to protect yourself by listening to this cautionary tale of UX dark patterns.

We want to give a huge shout-out to Kat Richards for writing an awesome article about UX dark patterns that inspired this story. Thanks Kat!

Helpful Links:
• A Very Scary UX Halloween Story: Dark Patterns and Bad UX

—–

Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton.

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The post In the Dark: A Cautionary Tale of UX Dark Patterns appeared first on Retro Time.

Lots of folks have ended up in the position of being at a higher level than they maybe should be.

This sounds like a blessing, but it could quickly turn into a curse when you decide to move to a new job where you may be viewed as less experienced than other people at your level.

Overlevelling can happen for several reasons. It’s possible your current team doesn’t have a lot of rigor around promotions or hiring. It’s also possible a new company would offer a higher band to help give recruiters more wiggle room during compensation negotiations.

If you’ve been over leveled it means you may have a hard time making a lateral move and may have to think about making a more horizontal switch.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to ignore titles and focus on your experience level and the context of the team.

A great team will know your level and be able to get you up to speed.

—–

Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton.

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The post 77. Sink or Swim: How to Survive Being Overleveled appeared first on Retro Time.

AI isn’t coming. AI is here.

There are two types of people in this world. Those who are chomping at the bit to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT, and those who are terrified the end is nigh.

Let’s face it, AI is pretty incredible. But it’s also kind of dumb right now. We’re not quite to the point of dealing with Skynet and Terminator-style robots looking to completely wipe out humanity… yet.

Is there any point in fighting it? Does it do any good? Or should you pop some popcorn, sit back, relax, and get ready for the end?

It all depends if you agree with Derek or not.

—–

Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton.

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Photo by Owen Beard on Unsplash

The post 76. Ctrl+Alt+Del Your Existential Dread: A Phoenix Will Rise Out of ChatGPT’s Ashes appeared first on Retro Time.

This week, our heroes talk with speaker, author, and software engineer Gojko Adzic about how software can go horribly wrong. When it does it can affect our lives in troubling, frustrating, and unexpected ways.

The post From the Archives: Peak Software $#!% with Gojko Adzic appeared first on Retro Time.