Part 6/11:
Product design became a science of brute-force optimization. Netflix, for instance, refined its UI over thousands of tests, discovering that bigger posters and autoplay previews increased engagement—regardless of aesthetic or user experience considerations. The goal was to squeeze maximum attention and time from users, leading to interfaces that looked increasingly similar. Creators and designers lost sway as data and algorithms dictated the visual and functional language across platforms.
An illustrative example was Gmail's April Fool's joke, "Mic Drop," which accidentally caused users to miss critical emails—highlighting how the pursuit of "fun" in product features can go awry when driven solely by experimentation.