The perverse incentives of Vibe Coding
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
“Its “almost there” quality — the feeling we’re just one prompt away from the perfect solution — is what makes it so addicting. Vibe coding operates on the principle of variable-ratio reinforcement, a powerful form of operant conditioning where rewards come unpredictably. Unlike fixed rewards, this intermittent success pattern (“the code works! it’s brilliant! it just broke! wtf!”), triggers stronger dopamine responses in our brain’s reward pathways, similar to gambling behaviors.”
The perverse incentives of Vibe Coding →
Is your research repository holding back the impact of your insights? →
[Sponsored] Join UX research experts Jake Burghardt and Emily DiLeo as they share the 6 red flags to look out for in failing repositories. Plus, get practical tips on how to build a repository that ensures your UX research delivers business value.
Editor picks
Figma uses nostalgia for their future in IPO →
What happens when design tools grow up—and grow corporate.Do people really want AI friends? →
Zuckerberg seems to think so.Design for trust, then for possibility →
From horseless carriages to robotaxis.
The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.
Make me think
There should be no AI button →
“It's often unclear what the button will actually do. You may have a small text box to add a user prompt, but you're at the mercy of the quality of an opaque system prompt.”Products need soul but markets reward scale →
“Uber is the clearest example of a company that let go of the original story and embraced what the market wanted. It started out as a premium ride experience. Nice cars, polite drivers, smooth UX. Then it went public. Growth expectations took over. Fleet owners stepped in. Car quality dropped. The experience became inconsistent. And then came the ads.”About showing the “open to work” badge →
“The reason might be that I do use LinkedIn professionally and that I’ve been both recruiting and being hired by large corporations. I’ve also been part of reorganisations, companies going bust and was on the wrong spreadsheet when mass layoffs happened. So I know how it feels to not have a job even when your performance was great.”
Little gems this week
Is your creative character being sacrificed to Algorithm, Inc? →
No country for junior designers →
The next design trend should start with your hands, not a computer →
Tools and resources
20+ GenAI UX patterns →
AI beyond the model.Using simulation models in UX research →
Why it’s time we take behavior seriously.Design in the age of vibes →
What the new wave of tools means for the future.
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