THE UX BUTTERFLY EFFECT

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

The design of social media platforms like TikTok, driven by feedback loops to maximize user engagement, has led to significant unintended consequences including worsening teen mental health, environmental degradation, and social isolation. Tools like systems maps, impact ripple canvases, and iceberg visuals help designers anticipate these broader effects by making visible the complex, often hidden, relationships within systems.