Xennial Memes
Photo of a park from above. A man carrying a red shopping bag walks along a worn dirt path cutting across the grass. A paved brick walkway curves around it. White label on the dirt path: "User experience". White label on the paved walkway: "Design".

Desire Paths: User Experience vs. Design

A desire path worn through the grass shows users ignoring the paved route. A classic UX vs. design joke for anyone who ever took the shortcut.

Image description

Photo of a park from above. A man carrying a red shopping bag walks along a worn dirt path cutting across the grass. A paved brick walkway curves around it. White label on the dirt path: "User experience". White label on the paved walkway: "Design".

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Venn diagram with a blue Design circle on the left, a pink PM circle on the right, and a purple overlap. Headings: Design, PM. Labels: Typically responsible for (left), Typically responsible for (right), Typically shared (bottom). Design only: Making & Iterating; Prototyping; Visual design; Interaction details; Consistency in the design system; Information architecture. PM only: Driving & Coordinating; Project… Photo of a black letterboard in a shop window, with reflections of two people and a building. It reads: PRICE LIST. WE DESIGN EVERYTHING 500 EUR. WE DESIGN, YOU WATCH 800 EUR. WE DESIGN, YOU ADVISE 1000 EUR. WE DESIGN, YOU HELP 1500 EUR. YOU DESIGN, WE HELP 2000 EUR. YOU DESIGN, WE ADVISE 3500 EUR. YOU DESIGN, WE WATCH 5000 EUR. YOU DESIGN EVERYTHING 8000 EUR. Retro poster of multicolored triangle tiles in muted red, orange, green, purple and teal on a parchment border, with cream capital letters reading: I REALLY LIKE THE COLOUR BUT CAN YOU CHANGE IT Hand-drawn iceberg with a small boat beside it. A person on the boat says: "What say you first mate? O ideal days...?" Above water: "This Stuff..." with checkboxes "Level of Effort" and "Complexity". Below: "And... Other Stuff..." with 24 checklist items such as Multi-tasking, Handoffs, Approvals, Meetings, Morale, Compliance. A five-level pyramid diagram titled "The Hierarchy of Innovation". Top: "Technologies of the Self" e.g., self-expression, identity management, pharmaceuticals, personalization, vanity. Next: "Technologies of Leisure" e.g., entertainment, mass media, consumer goods and services, athletics, travel. Next: "Technologies of Prosperity" e.g., systems of manufacturing, transport, energy, finance, communication, education,… A 5x5 grid of photos. Column headings across the top: DEVELOPERS, DESIGNERS, PROJECT MANAGERS, QA, SYSADMINS. Row labels down the left: SEEN BY DEVELOPERS, SEEN BY DESIGNERS, SEEN BY PROJECT MANAGERS, SEEN BY QA, SEEN BY SYSADMINS. Each cell shows a stock or pop-culture photo, such as a scientist, a toddler with paintbrushes, a man in a black turtleneck, a prisoner behind bars, and a cartoon man flipping the bird.

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