Aeris Clarity

Notes for the way out · September 25, 2026

It’s not your fault, it’s bad design

Don Normanauthor, The Design of Everyday Things

Source: Design for a Better World, Chapter 1 (MIT Press, 2023)

Why this one

If you’ve spent years blaming yourself for a gradebook, a login, or a system that fought you every day, this sentence might land hard. Some of what wore you down was badly designed, and you were the one absorbing it.

Where it shows up at work

UX researchers find out how teachers and students actually use a product, and tell the truth about it. Watching someone struggle without jumping in to help is a core skill of the job, and teachers already practice it.

Read the full page on UX researcher, with what a Tuesday looks like, how the pay is structured, and the honest downside.