“Which newspaper would you like?”

During check-in at the hotel where I stayed, I was momentarily puzzled by the question. It’s been a while since I last read paper-based newspapers, and I imagine many hotels have discontinued their newspaper services.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, I thought about declining with a “I don’t need it” since we’re in the paperless age. However, I decided to give it a chance out of curiosity.

I’ve never been a fan of paper newspapers. I could never quite unfold them comfortably, and the headlines always seemed to extend far beyond my vision. I’m not particularly fond of them as a UI, so I had no expectations this time either, but to my surprise, I found it much more comfortable than I had anticipated. Did my arms grow longer?

Regardless of whether my arms actually lengthened, there was one aspect where I clearly felt comfort. It was the presence of limits.

The value of connecting created by the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web has created value by connecting things that were previously disconnected across boundaries.

It’s a world we can hardly remember now, but before that, information existed independently in print, and you couldn’t instantly jump from one piece of information to another. The technology of hyperlinks fundamentally changed how people accessed information.

Since then, the focus on how to access information easily has been a significant part of the design approach, leading up to today.

The experience of endless content

Do you remember the first half of the 2010s when the end of paper newspapers was frequently talked about? At that time, I had just completed my master’s program in the UK. I vividly recall my classmates eagerly joining prestigious newspapers, striving for a better “reading” experience in the new era.

It was also the period when the culture of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram was gaining popularity. These platforms led design trends, and amidst the rise of the UI framework known as the timeline, Infinity Scroll emerged as a celebrated feature for providing a good user experience. Instead of users consciously clicking a button to load the next page, content would endlessly appear as you scrolled. This pattern expanded beyond social media to banking systems and online shops.

Another example of the widespread adoption of social media design patterns is personalization and recommendation. Displaying content one after another based on user behavior, aiming for a serendipitous experience, became a goal adopted by various services. This, too, is a design for an experience where content emerges endlessly.

The pitfalls of infinity

Originally, these design patterns were created to deliver better experiences to users. However, looking back, it seems that the outcomes were not all positive.

In the digital space where there is no physical feedback, metrics such as dwell time, impressions, and clicks are major indicators of a service’s success. While these metrics are not inherently bad, focusing solely on keeping users in front of the screen to boost numbers can neglect users’ mental health. While the methods may appear user-centric, they may not genuinely consider the users but rather analyze user behavior data to control the next actions in a way that benefits the business.

Eventually, the practices of some companies faced criticism from both within and outside the design industry. The 2020 Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma” sharply criticizes how the design of major social media platforms negatively impacts the mental well-being of young generations. What was once intended to delight users, such as Infinity Scrolling, has unfortunately led to decreased user happiness and even resulted in experiences like “Doomscrolling,” where individuals find themselves consumed by negative information.

Creating Limits

However, creativity is a force that drives evolution. Naturally, in recent years, products addressing such issues have emerged.

For instance, Apple and Google have implemented features like Digital Wellbeing to limit device usage, and Slack has improved its user experience design to prevent excessive notifications. These initiatives establish limits to make it easier for users to step away from the screen.

Moreover, have you heard of the SNS platform “BeReal,” which has gained popularity among Generation Z recently? This app limits the number of daily posts, and the first post of the day is notified at a random time. Users must capture and post within two minutes without editing, and if they don’t post, they can’t view others’ posts… There are various rules in place. While it may incorporate gaming elements, the restrictions seem to create a fresh experience.

I’ve also been using the SNS service “Bluesky” since last year. Instead of the algorithm showing posts based on user preferences in “For you,” it displays posts in chronological order. When scrolling from where you last left off to the latest posts, it stops there, providing another bounded experience.

News app with limits

Returning to the initial discussion, how about the experience of news apps? After feeling a small sense of wonder from the paper newspaper experience at the hotel, I contemplated returning to subscribing to paper-based newspapers. However, considering the increase in paper waste… I discovered the “paper viewer,” a service offered by various newspapers where you can read the digital version of the newspaper layout. I use the paper viewers for the Nikkei and Financial Times, and it surprisingly fits well.

As the content designed for extensive reading unfolds on an iPad-sized screen, ease of zooming in and out is essential. Once that hurdle is cleared, digital strengths like connecting and dynamically changing forms can be leveraged. In the app I use, there are animated highlights on the paper’s titles, making it easier to grasp, switching to an online layout when opening an article, and the option to listen to the content. By incorporating a bit of the benefit of “connecting” while realizing an experience with “limits”, my efficiency in reading the morning news has improved.

What the tech industry should consider

It’s natural to want as many people as possible to use what you’ve passionately created, and there are also business-imposed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to meet.

What may need to change is the way we measure success. Is it truly indicative of a good product if users spend a long time or if there are many impressions? With the current measurement methods, are we truly measuring the value of a product and even potential negative impacts?

Those who realize a product is detrimental to their health will ultimately distance themselves from it. Just as other industries have faced over their long histories, perhaps the tech industry should engage in more discussions about corporate ethics and responsibility towards the products they release.

Lastly, I’d like to touch on a game I love, “Mother,” which I discussed in a previous interview at Spectrum Tokyo. This RPG involves young boys and girls embarking on adventures while battling monsters. If you play for an extended period, you receive a phone call from “Dad.”

“You’ve been out there for a long time now. It may be none of my business, but don’t you think it would be a good idea if you took a break?”

Is this a gesture of care from the developers conveyed through “Dad’s” voice? Designing mechanisms that prompt users to take breaks in a way that shows consideration for them could showcase a designer’s skill, reflecting a caring attitude towards users.