Are we doomed to live in taste bubbles of our own making?
The importance of taste-breakers in UX.
The monotonous bubble
I must admit, the way in which Spotify personalises playlists never ceases to delight me. Having my new Discover Weekly playlist waiting every Monday morning is like a little gift when I need it most. Recently I noticed another surprise gift on my homepage, a “Taste-breakers” playlist. A mixture of old songs I haven’t heard in a while and new hits by artists that I might have missed, this playlist is fun but doesn’t completely live up to the promise of its name.
This notion of a taste-breaker really stuck with me though, because it helps to describe a feeling that has been bothering me for the past few months.
Possibly exacerbated by the need for entertainment during a pandemic, the irritation with the content ‘curated’ for me by Netflix and Youtube has grown. Most nights will start with opening Netflix, scrolling through a selection of movies or shows that I’ve already seen then switching to Youtube and again back to Netflix, when I realise that the selection isn’t much better.
“The notion of Taste-breakers is compelling. Over time, our taste develops toward certain rhythms… how we spend our Friday nights, or whether we prefer Nikes to Adidas. Us humans, we like our rhythms, but we put ourselves in danger of missing out on simple wins if we don’t reflect and determine where we could benefit from a little change.” ⁴ — Alie Heenan
The importance of a healthy diet
The problem isn’t just that there isn’t any good content, no, Netflix actually has a ton of interesting shows and movies (often foreign language) that never show up as suggestions on my home page. Leading me to watch the same rom-com I’ve seen a million times, which then leads Netflix to suggest similar movies in a never-ending spiral.
Consuming new and challenging content is like eating a delicious but healthy meal, it has the ability to improve our wellbeing and emotions.
The all-mighty Algorithm, which has the god-like quality to predict exactly what we need as we need it, could never be at fault, could it? Most of us don’t seem to know enough about how it works to question its efficacy. Separating the algorithm from the people that create it, helps to place the emphasis on humans like ourselves that are able to create and to change the products we use.
“Possibly we should stop saying ‘the algorithm’ and start saying ‘the way people programmed the app.” ⁵ — Clarissa C. S. Ryan
Creation and Curation
As more and more content is produced for online consumption every day, the issue for UX designers is changing from creation to curation. How best to truly serve our users by curating content for them? If the metric by which this is measured to engage the user for the maximum amount of time, then I guess it works. But, is the best way of achieving it to keep the user in a self-perpetuating spiral of monotonous content, out of lack for something better?
“Netflix is exceptional at keeping us interested and invested in its service by reminding us of what we love. It’s not as good at encouraging exploration and discovery… Netflix wants us to be comfortable. Why try out a new arrival on the platform when you can just watch Friends for the hundredth time.” ¹
Youtube is not exempt from this rant, it regularly has a place in the nightly frustration spiral. Switching from Netflix to Youtube and back again only helps to confirm my monotonous array of options. Forever haunted by the one make-up tutorial I watched a while ago, my Youtube curated selection is in no way stimulating. The only way to refresh my suggestions is to let my partner search and watch videos on my account for a few days, and vice versa. But I must admit, I’m starting to feel claustrophobic in this taste bubble.
“It’s the algorithms. They have gone mad. They push me into a bubble I don’t want to be in. I only get confirmation of my ideas.” ³ — Dennis Hambeukers
The effects of the content that we consume
On a deeper level, what are the effects on our view of the world and greater sense of exploration if we only see the same content over and over again? Surely this self-confirming, self-perpetuating spiral of consumption can’t be good for us. Once you’ve had your own taste and opinions confirmed so many times, it’s a real shock to realise that the rest of the world doesn’t work that way. I say this while remembering the feeling I’ve often got from a truly good and slightly challenging movie. The feeling of having your worldview shift slightly for the next week or even month after you watch it.
My local video rental store used to have this one woman who would suggest the most incredible movies. Not any that I would choose myself or even know how to find, but for some reason, everything that she selected would delight and challenge me just enough. Timing my visits to coincide with her shifts would always guarantee a great movie experience that evening.
Where is the Netflix or Youtube friendly video store employee when you need them?
“The user experience for me should be about connectivity and broadening my horizon. And I believe that there is a danger in too many people getting caught in algorithm bubbles.” ³ — Dennis Hambeukers
Seeking adventure through taste-breakers
As a UX designer, it’s in my nature to offer a solution if I am to complain for this long. I am advocating for other content platforms like Netflix and Youtube to follow Spotify’s lead and add taste-breakers to the user’s curated selection. Spotify as a platform, already conforms to a strategy of encouraging growth and exploration in its users: rating your music taste at the end of the year based on how diverse it is, or playfully scolding you if it isn’t. It’s a subtle shift in the relationship a brand has with its user and in my opinion a more compelling one.
The discussion on how content should be curated is endless, but at the end of the day it is important to consider the greater impact that what we consume has on our outlook and experience. Eating a healthy and varied content diet is a difficult task, especially if there’s ‘leftover cake’ in the fridge every time we open it.
I am not associated in any way with Spotify, I just believe in appreciating good ideas. Youtube and Netflix, I still love you.
Thank you for taking the time to engage with my thoughts. If you enjoyed the article or have more thoughts on the topic, please give me a clap or a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject matter. If you want to read more about how design (particularly UX design) connects to the world around us, please give me a follow on Medium. Otherwise we can always connect over LinkedIn.
SOURCES:
- Alexander, J. 2018. Reddit comes up with easy solution to Netflix’s most annoying problem: No, I don’t want to watch The Office again. [Online]. Available: https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/30/17409654/netflix-what-to-watch-new-suggestion-reddit.
- Fabricant, R., Kuang, C. 2019. User Friendly: How the hidden rules of design are changing the way we live, work, and play. London: Penguin Random House. [pg 116–120].
- Hambeukers, D. 2021. When the algorithm breaks the UX. [Online]. Available: https://medium.com/design-leadership-notebook/when-the-algorithm-breaks-the-ux-9ed46a00b04e
- Heenan, A. 2018. Tastebreakers. [Online]. Available: https://medium.com/@alieheenan/tastebreakers-f26f08b58a7f
- Ryan, C. via Teixeira, F. 2020. [Online]. Available: https://uxdesign.cc/tweet-of-the-week-e36d7e552a8e.
- Stokel-Walker, C. 2019. Algorithms won’t fix what’s wrong with Youtube. [Online]. Available: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/14/opinion/youtube-algorithm.html.
Image inspiration: Simon Dagfinrud via Figma community.
