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But what if I want a faster horse?

(rakhim.exotext.com)
1525 points saeedesmaili | 3 comments | 11 Apr 25 11:39 UTC | HN request time: 0.869s | source
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FinnLobsien ◴[11 Apr 25 13:07 UTC] No.43653334[source]▶
I also dislike the TikTokification of everything, but I also know that all of us on this platform are wrong in the sense that we're not the user being designed for.

Consumer apps at massive scale like TikTok and Netflix don't design for nerds like us, they design for the average person. Actually, they design for the average behavior of the average person.

And most people on this planet are more or less happy with whatever they're presented with because they don't care about technology.

And when you control what's presented to people, not they (and they don't care), you can push them to consume what you want them to consume.

I heard a YC group partner once that he's worked with a ton of delivery apps. Many of them start out as differentiated apps for ordering from the best "hole in the wall" places or the app for authentic foreign cuisines, only to discover that the best growth hack is getting McDonald's on the app, because that'll be your top seller, instantly.

Most people just do the default thing everyone does—and we're probably all like that in one aspect or another of our lives, and that's who many experiences are designed for.

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bluGill ◴[11 Apr 25 13:53 UTC] No.43653803[source]▶
Which is a real problem for the rare person (ie me) who doesn't like McDonalds. Go to a new city and I get recommendations of McDonalds, and the dozen "you won't believe we are not McDonalds" - never mind that I don't like burgers, that is about all I can find when looking for a meal.
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FinnLobsien ◴[11 Apr 25 14:13 UTC] No.43654037[source]▶
True. Though I wouldn't even say it's rare to not like McDonald's. But McDonald's is an option most people are kinda okay with, which is what they optimize for.

Nobody will ever describe McDonald's as a transcendental experience. But it's consistent (same everywhere) and everyone can agree on it (vs. convincing a group to order from a random Indian place).

On HN, we're obsessive weirdos who WILL seek out niche experiences (the interface of this very website is a case in point). But most people aren't.

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cubefox ◴[11 Apr 25 14:50 UTC] No.43654437[source]▶
A substantial fraction of us might indeed have some degree of ASD or ADHD.
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1. FinnLobsien ◴[11 Apr 25 15:46 UTC] No.43655171[source]▶
Or maybe we're just nerds, not everything needs to qualify as a clinical diagnosis
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2. lcnPylGDnU4H9OF ◴[11 Apr 25 16:48 UTC] No.43655871[source]▶
This comment is distinctly incurious. Sure, it doesn't have to be a clinical diagnosis but that's also kinda the point of talking about it so casually: it doesn't always have to rise to the level of a clinical diagnosis. Some people will not be satisfied with the "we're just nerds" explanation and that's okay too. (Indeed, obsessive weirdos, eh?)
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3. cubefox ◴[11 Apr 25 18:53 UTC] No.43657164[source]▶
Exactly. And noticing that you might have some degree of ASD, or the like, enables you to also to notice typical symptomatic weaknesses, aside from strengths. Which might not be obvious to you otherwise. Addressing a weakness is much easier once it is identified. ("weird nerd" is too vague a diagnosis)