#103 UX in the Age of Overwhelm – Are We Designing for Exhausted Users?

Future of UX | Your Design, Tech and User Experience Podcast | AI Design

In this episode, we explore a question that affects all of us:

📌 Are we designing for users who are already exhausted?

We wake up and immediately check our phones. We spend hours switching between apps, notifications, and endless feeds. Our brains are constantly processing information, yet focusing for more than a few minutes feels impossible.

If digital fatigue is shaping how people interact with technology, what does that mean for UX? Should we be designing less, not more?

We’ll dive into:

• How digital fatigue is changing user behavior
• Why attention spans are shrinking—and what it means for UX
• The dark side of dopamine-driven design (infinite scroll, notifications, engagement hacks)
• The ethical dilemma: Should UX designers prioritize well-being over engagement?

And here’s an extreme thought:
👉 What if designers were rewarded for reducing screen time instead of increasing engagement?

Resources mentioned:

The ethical dilemma:watch on Spotify

Other resources

💻 ✨Waiting list for the AI Academy: 6-week Bootcamp to Learn How to Master AI as a Designer

→ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get notified when doors are opening again⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

👉 0€ AI mini Training for Designers 👈

→ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn 3 strategies to leverage gen AI as a designer in just 30 min⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

💌 Newsletter

→ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Weekly UX insights and updates: UX Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow the Future of UX:

🎨 Linkedin: ⁠Future of UX Podcast⁠

📸 Instagram: ⁠Future of UX Podcast⁠

🍏 Apple Podcast: ⁠Future of UX⁠

💚 Spotify: ⁠Future of UX⁠

Find Patricia on Socials

📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @ux.patricia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🎨 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin Patricia Reiners⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter @ux_Patricia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📝 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My UX Design Blog ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🎥 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠