Order Kate’s new book today and discover What Matters Next!

All Insights > Business & Strategy > The problem with default web usage metaphors and lazy metrics

The problem with default web usage metaphors and lazy metrics

Media_httpimgsxkcdcom_tgiih

We get used to seeing metaphors and metrics in certain contexts, and we just start taking for granted that they make sense. It’s why I get really animated whenever an e-commerce client cites something Amazon does as proof that a technique works: Amazon can get away with crappy web interfaces because they’re Amazon. No one else has that same power.

Related Posts

Vibes All the Way Down: Dmitry Grozoubinski discusses tariffs and more on The Tech Humanist Show

Dmitry Grozoubinski has spent his career making trade legible to people who aren’t trade experts. When I asked him what people are experiencing as...

KO Insights slide: "The Trust Stack — Reality maintenance as a leadership discipline" with tags Leadership, Decision-Making, AI Governance

The Trust Stack: Reality Maintenance as a Leadership Discipline

Last week, a video clip went viral not because of what it showed, but because people couldn’t agree whether it was real. The arguments...

The Anthropic Test: Why Every Organization Needs to Define Its AI Non-Negotiables Now

The dispute between Anthropic and the Department of Defense isn’t primarily a story about one company and one contract. It’s a live-fire exercise in...

Five Insights from Thinksgiving 2025: Your Ethical Acceleration Toolkit

For more than 15 years, the week of American Thanksgiving has been my “Thinksgiving“—a deliberate pause to think deeply about what matters, review my...

UN AI "Red Lines" in Global Governance

UN Calls for AI Red Lines in Global Governance: Why Maria Angelita Ressa’s Warning Demands Immediate Action

During an already newsworthy second day of the United Nations General Assembly week, activist and author Maria Angelita Ressa took the stage to call...

The Strategic Implications of Anthropic’s Copyright Settlement: A Roadmap for Sustainable AI Development

Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement just created the clearest roadmap yet for sustainable AI development. But most analysis is focused on the legal implications,...

Agentic AI: Beyond the Hype - What It Really Means for Businesses and Workers

Agentic AI: Beyond the Hype – What It Really Means for Businesses and Workers

The breathless tech hype machines are working overtime on agentic AI. CEOs and analysts alike herald it as the ultimate competitive advantage, a new...

The Economy is People header in A Future So Bright (photo by John DeMato)

Tariff Impact on Business Strategy: Why “The Economy Is People” Matters

I’ve said it for years: the economy is people. Not GDP figures. Not trade balances. Not abstract percentages that scroll across financial news tickers....

Meta’s Fact-Checking Retreat: When “Just a Tech Platform” Isn’t Good Enough

Meta’s decision to end political fact-checking strikes at the heart of Big Tech’s relationship with society. It’s a move that reveals how easily platforms...

The Art of Strategic Uncertainty

Here’s a counterintuitive truth about uncertainty: sometimes, knowing what you don’t know is more valuable than knowing what you do. As I explore in...

Defining Ethics in AI and Tech

Defining Ethics in AI and Tech

The topic of AI ethics is everywhere lately. We’ve covered it here before in a few ways. But let’s dive into a set of...

Nominated for a Thinkers50 award, the “Oscars of management ideas”

I couldn’t be more giddy about attending the Oscars — that is, the “Oscars of management ideas.” 🙂 The Thinkers50 Awards Gala is taking place...