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The Feed & The Thread - February 4, 2026 · The Feed & The Thread

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  Today we're diving into how over-reliance on data can lead
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  to safer but less innovative products, and we'll hear what
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  the community is saying about recent changes in Apple's Photos
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  app and the challenges a solo junior UX designer faces at a 3D
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  startup.
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  Welcome to The Feed and The Thread, brought to you by
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  Chicago Camps. Our next UX Camp event is coming up on February
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  twenty first. Tickets are very affordable & free options
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  available. Don't miss out!
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  Here are a few things worth your attention today. Let's dive in!
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  In a new piece titled "The safest decision is rarely the
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  right one," Simon Mauro Guido at UX Design.cc argues that over-
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  reliance on data-driven decisions can lead to safer but
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  less innovative products. He emphasizes balancing data with
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  judgment and direct user engagement, highlighting
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  Linear’s philosophy where design isn’t outsourced to analytics
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  but emerges from deep understanding and proactive
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  testing. Over at MeasuringU, Jeff Sauro, Jim Lewis, and Emily
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  Short's latest "UX and NPS Benchmarks of Clothing Websites
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  (2026)" presents a benchmark study on popular clothing sites.
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  The research involved 351 users rating their experiences with
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  sites like Anthropologie, H&M, and Zara using SUPR-Q and Net
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  Promoter Score metrics. Overall UX was above average, but Zara
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  lagged behind. Also worth noting – new pieces recently
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  from Smashing Magazine and A List Apart. Be sure to check
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  them out in your feeds!
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  Okay, what's the community buzzing about? So over in the
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  UX Design subreddit, folks are up in arms about Apple's new
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  Photos app. It's got 15 upvotes already, which means it's
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  definitely causing some stir. One commenter put it well:
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  "Apple ruined the Photos app!!!", and honestly, if you've
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  ever felt like your favorite app suddenly became less user-
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  friendly, you know how that feels. Meanwhile, there’s a
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  junior designer over at a 3D startup feeling pretty lost.
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  They’re trying to implement UX but all they get is requests for
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  "buttons moved." It's tough when the work starts to feel like
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  everything but design, right? But hey, if you can make it
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  work, that’s some serious on- the-job learning. And speaking
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  of job-related challenges, there's a thread about
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  Deloitte's second-round interviews. Folks are diving
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  into what they should expect for the Product & Strategic Design
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  Consultant role – case studies and portfolio expectations are
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  the hot topics here. Worth checking out if that’s your
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  thing! Lastly, senior designers are debating whether "process"
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  or "outcomes" matter more in a case study. It's a classic
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  debate: do we focus on how we got there or what we ended up
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  with? Can't blame them for feeling that way; it’s
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  definitely one of those conversations where everyone has
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  an opinion. That's what folks are buzzing about today! Lots to
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  chew on, huh?
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  Chicago Camps is hosting UX Camp Winter on Saturday, February
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  21st. There will be plenty of great presentations, all online,
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  so you can join from anywhere in the world! Tickets are only
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  thirteen dollars and fifty cents and there are plenty of
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  complimentary passes available thanks to the generosity of the
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  community. Get tickets now at Chicago Camps dot org. This is a
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  great value!
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  Today, we talked about balancing data-driven decisions with user
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  engagement in design. And in the community discussions, it's
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  clear folks are passionate about the latest changes in Apple’s
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  Photos app. Thanks for tuning in — we'll catch you next time.
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  That's The Feed and The Thread for today. Keep designing with
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  intention!