{"id":10870,"date":"2014-10-11T14:23:15","date_gmt":"2014-10-11T14:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theme-fusion.com\/avada_demos\/portfolio\/?page_id=10870"},"modified":"2025-01-07T14:51:51","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T22:51:51","slug":"blog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ritsandcompany.com\/index.php\/blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--link_color: #003b77;--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-overflow:visible;--awb-padding-right:30px;--awb-padding-left:30px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1144px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_4 1_4 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-flex-start fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:25%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:7.68%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:7.68%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_2 1_2 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-flex-start fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:50%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:3.84%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:3.84%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/embed\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border:1px solid #EEE; background:white;\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><div class=\"feedzy-6edc14efe51e5d34cfde51dd76c7b733 feedzy-rss\"><ul><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Creativity, Copyright, and AI\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21Lf15%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cb61c8c-c18b-43a4-a964-52db8cf904df_1234x810.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Creativity, Copyright, and AI\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Creativity, Copyright, and AI<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on February 6, 2025 <\/small><p>How AI Joins the Human Story of Creativity<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/deepseek-deep-sixes-the-silicon-valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"DeepSeek Deep Sixes the Silicon Valley Monopolies\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%2150zu%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43a5f8ae-5697-46a7-ad82-76afa838f080_1550x1150.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"DeepSeek Deep Sixes the Silicon Valley Monopolies\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/deepseek-deep-sixes-the-silicon-valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">DeepSeek Deep Sixes the Silicon Valley Monopolies<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on February 3, 2025 <\/small><p>For years, Silicon Valley\u2019s ethos has been anti-competition. Rather than innovate, companies acquired. The result is crap we don\u2019t like, companies that are bullies &amp; growing unemployment in tech.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/leading-teams-out-of-the-toxic-swamp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Leading Teams Out of the Toxic Swamp: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21wUlp%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fddf11358-cf34-4ebd-a735-198aabc384e2_1094x618.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Leading Teams Out of the Toxic Swamp: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/leading-teams-out-of-the-toxic-swamp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Leading Teams Out of the Toxic Swamp: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 31, 2025 <\/small><p>In our age of hyper-individualism, the malignant colleague is more of a rule than an exception. Here are the five characters of toxic teammates and how to deal with them.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/could-ai-help-build-a-social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Could AI Help Build a Social Media Algorithm that Promotes True Democratic Debate?\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%2160jg%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97d7fd1a-a293-426e-9bb6-372a9e05aa08_730x468.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Could AI Help Build a Social Media Algorithm that Promotes True Democratic Debate?\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/could-ai-help-build-a-social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Could AI Help Build a Social Media Algorithm that Promotes True Democratic Debate?<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 29, 2025 <\/small><p>AI can absolutely help create a social media platform that fosters democratic debate and avoids echo chambers. Here's how to could go about it, step by step:<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/design-smarter-stress-less-why-mental\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Design Smarter, Stress Less: Why Mental Health-Focused UX Matters\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/69235850-bfc0-4fd1-bf69-eef0f87b79ed_574x286.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Design Smarter, Stress Less: Why Mental Health-Focused UX Matters\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/design-smarter-stress-less-why-mental\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Design Smarter, Stress Less: Why Mental Health-Focused UX Matters<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 27, 2025 <\/small><p>If you've never experienced \"tech-rage\" then you've never used a digital product. Feeling like tearing your hair out or throwing your laptop across the room shouldn't be an expected user pattern.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/lessons-from-20-years-in-ux-design\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Lessons from 20 Years in UX Design and Leadership\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21OnZo%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd1bc459f-836c-454b-a515-81e2f4c15d03_1000x440.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Lessons from 20 Years in UX Design and Leadership\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/lessons-from-20-years-in-ux-design\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Lessons from 20 Years in UX Design and Leadership<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 24, 2025 <\/small><p>After two decades in UX design and leadership, spanning industries from healthtech to fintech to eCommerce, I\u2019ve learned a few things that I wish someone had told me at the start of my career.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-hidden-ux-problem-derailing-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"The Hidden UX Problem Derailing Digital Transformation\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21wQnL%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc74b6881-5c7e-4378-9e05-acf0d3b8a9ec_734x522.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"The Hidden UX Problem Derailing Digital Transformation\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-hidden-ux-problem-derailing-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">The Hidden UX Problem Derailing Digital Transformation<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 23, 2025 <\/small><p>User experience isn\u2019t just the cherry on top of a digital initiative; it\u2019s the foundation. Without a solid UX strategy, even the best tech investment can fall flat. Let\u2019s break it down.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/ux-or-bust-building-a-design-first-7b9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"UX or Bust: Building a Design-First Culture in Big Corporations\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21jp1V%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63fa1d-8c5a-4119-b4a3-03f3288f244d_414x368.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"UX or Bust: Building a Design-First Culture in Big Corporations\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/ux-or-bust-building-a-design-first-7b9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">UX or Bust: Building a Design-First Culture in Big Corporations<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 20, 2025 <\/small><p>In this installment, we focus on the unique challenges and strategies for fostering design in large organizations.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/ux-or-bust-building-a-design-first\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"UX or Bust: Building a Design-First Culture in Startups\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21hROr%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7f106739-3027-47e0-b872-414f81f45596_1426x556.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"UX or Bust: Building a Design-First Culture in Startups\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/ux-or-bust-building-a-design-first\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">UX or Bust: Building a Design-First Culture in Startups<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 13, 2025 <\/small><p>This is the first of a two-part series exploring how to build a UX culture. In this installment, we\u2019ll focus on integrating design into early- to mid-stage startups.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/facebooks-algorithm-was-not-what\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Facebook&#039;s Algorithm Was Not What the Founders Had in Mind\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/e7b2bdca-cc11-460d-bf33-9d7d7c794bd3_750x300.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Facebook&apos;s Algorithm Was Not What the Founders Had in Mind\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/facebooks-algorithm-was-not-what\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Facebook's Algorithm Was Not What the Founders Had in Mind<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 10, 2025 <\/small><p>The dark UX of social media algorithms is shaping online experiences more than ever, raising critical questions about the future of our profession and the integrity of our national conversations.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-untapped-power-of-mixed-methods\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"How Smart Researchers Uncover the Why &amp; the What for Better Products\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%2158FI%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6141c646-b487-485e-8046-c7eb4348f2bb_1674x796.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"How Smart Researchers Uncover the Why &amp; the What for Better Products\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-untapped-power-of-mixed-methods\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">How Smart Researchers Uncover the Why &amp; the What for Better Products<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 9, 2025 <\/small><p>Seasoned pro or newbie, mixing qual and quant isn\u2019t optional\u2014it\u2019s the game-changer. Let\u2019s make it happen.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-future-of-ux-design-in-the-age-a55\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"The Future of UX Design in the Age of AI: Adapting to AI-Driven Interfaces\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21ldtV%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F346e65cb-8627-4e90-abfa-c30fde514627_1666x790.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"The Future of UX Design in the Age of AI: Adapting to AI-Driven Interfaces\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-future-of-ux-design-in-the-age-a55\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">The Future of UX Design in the Age of AI: Adapting to AI-Driven Interfaces<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 6, 2025 <\/small><p>Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the digital landscape, and UX design is no exception. As designers, we are at the forefront of a transformative shift.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/can-we-still-have-nice-things-the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Can We Still Have Nice Things? The Cost of Prioritizing Shareholder Value Over Quality<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on January 2, 2025 <\/small><p>Poor user experiences drive away customers, reduce brand loyalty, and chip away at the very value companies claim to prioritize. Yet these issues rarely make it to the top of the priority list.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/its-hard-not-to-give-up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"It\u2019s Hard Not to Give Up\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21rXO3%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18415939-f284-41d1-b7e8-04f352bf753d_1562x622.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"It\u2019s Hard Not to Give Up\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/its-hard-not-to-give-up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">It\u2019s Hard Not to Give Up<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on November 13, 2024 <\/small><p>Grasping at astrology on this dark November day<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/no-virginia-ai-cant-democratize-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Rule #1: Don\u2019t Make Them Think\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21LtQe%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ee321cd-aa5d-423f-ac79-5087dfd73a1f_1812x1196.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Rule #1: Don\u2019t Make Them Think\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/no-virginia-ai-cant-democratize-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Rule #1: Don\u2019t Make Them Think<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on September 5, 2024 <\/small><p>Another diatribe about why executives need the \u201cworkers\u201d to be real people, not AI agents<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/why-every-design-team-is-toxic-just\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Why (Just About) Every Design Team is Toxic Right Now\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21x7yp%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F141a6554-b31f-403f-bb67-9753d01fc8c3_1652x882.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Why (Just About) Every Design Team is Toxic Right Now\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/why-every-design-team-is-toxic-just\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Why (Just About) Every Design Team is Toxic Right Now<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on May 14, 2024 <\/small><p>We are living through a moment of fearfulness in our profession. The churning and burning through employees, especially in Tech, is causing entrenchment among those who still have jobs and are afraid<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/why-should-i-manage-my-own-projects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Manage the Chaos, Survive Another Day\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21S6Tf%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcc839c0e-6cec-4c32-a61d-718867401dc8_1528x1184.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Manage the Chaos, Survive Another Day\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/why-should-i-manage-my-own-projects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Manage the Chaos, Survive Another Day<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on May 8, 2024 <\/small><p>As a newly-minted UX designer at Google wayyyyy back in the day, I was helped out by a project manager who saw me floundering under an avalanche of design requests and impossible deadlines.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/pros-and-cons-of-using-conversational\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"Pros and Cons of Using Conversational AI to Design Your Products\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21ze2P%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe4192fce-382e-4764-a828-ee4099e951b5_1238x836.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"Pros and Cons of Using Conversational AI to Design Your Products\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/pros-and-cons-of-using-conversational\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Pros and Cons of Using Conversational AI to Design Your Products<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on April 16, 2024 <\/small><p>In product design, there is a growing murmur and back-channel conversation about if, when, and just how much AI can assume the tasks of the UX design and research department in any given project.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/and-now-lets-make-cool-things-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"And Now, Let&#039;s Make Cool Things Again\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21s9kq%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04fa0b9f-873c-4a4d-823c-8986791dc425_1100x1086.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"And Now, Let&apos;s Make Cool Things Again\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/and-now-lets-make-cool-things-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">And Now, Let's Make Cool Things Again<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on April 9, 2024 <\/small><p>Looking at the tech industry today, it\u2019s painfully obvious we\u2019re not doing Capitalism anymore. We\u2019re making crappy products and trying to leverage as much money from them as we can.<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><div class=\"rss_image\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-year-of-magical-ai-thinking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\" title=\"The Year of Magical (AI) Thinking\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_%21IvIl%21%2Cf_auto%2Cq_auto%3Agood%2Cfl_progressive%3Asteep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa938b89e-c298-4b91-91cd-5a4ac4c53407_1218x444.png?w=1100&#038;ssl=1\" title=\"The Year of Magical (AI) Thinking\" style=\"height:150px;width:150px\"><\/a><\/div><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/p\/the-year-of-magical-ai-thinking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">The Year of Magical (AI) Thinking<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/susanrits.substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"susanrits.substack.com\">Susan Rits<\/a> on April 4, 2024 <\/small><p>I predict there will be many more magical AI solutions that are implemented in place of employees. And they will end up failing and costing even more. This year will be known as a year of panic<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ul> <\/div><style type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">.feedzy-rss .rss_item .rss_image{float:left;position:relative;border:none;text-decoration:none;max-width:100%}.feedzy-rss .rss_item .rss_image span{display:inline-block;position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;background-position:50%;background-size:cover}.feedzy-rss .rss_item .rss_image{margin:.3em 1em 0 0;content-visibility:auto}.feedzy-rss ul{list-style:none}.feedzy-rss ul li{display:inline-block}<\/style><iframe src=\"https:\/\/susanrits.substack.com\/embed\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border:1px solid #EEE; background:white;\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_4 1_4 fusion-flex-column fusion-flex-align-self-flex-start fusion-column-no-min-height\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:25%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:7.68%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:7.68%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"100-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10870","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Blog - Rits and Company<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ritsandcompany.com\/index.php\/blog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blog - Rits and Company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ritsandcompany.com\/index.php\/blog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rits and Company\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-07T22:51:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/index.php\\\/blog\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/index.php\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blog - Rits and Company\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-10-11T14:23:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-07T22:51:51+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/index.php\\\/blog\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/index.php\\\/blog\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/index.php\\\/blog\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blog\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ritsandcompany.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rits and Company\",\"description\":\"Experience Design &amp; 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