It’s incredible how many bad user experiences are still out there in 2025
You’d think we’ve had 30+ years to learn and nail digital user experiences, right? You’d think that by now, flawless experiences would be the rule and not the exception. Right? Right? Disgracefully, far from it, as three recent experiences — that almost had me throwing my laptop out the window — showed me. It’s 2025 and absolutely basic usability and UX failures are still everywhere. Why are we in this mess? I have three hypotheses: 1) Companies chronically underinvest in UX; 2) too many “UX professionals” lack genuine expertise; and 3) even the talented UX folks have little structural power. The good news: seasoned UX professionals now have the best opportunity yet to found businesses that truly differentiate on UX— while others stubbornly leave this trillion-dollar opportunity on the table. If many established businesses won’t make UX matter, it’s time to build new ones that do.