DigiNews

Summary

Backseat Software argues that modern software increasingly acts on users through backchannels, nudges, and telemetry, turning software into a channel that interrupts rather than a neutral tool. The post traces the evolution from software on disks to always-online updates, and then to back channels that collect usage data, raising concerns about metrics becoming targets (Goodhart’s Law) and the shift toward experimentation and persuasion. It discusses the dangers of relying on analytics for decision-making, the risks of prompts and tours that disrupt flow, and the erosion of user trust, offering practical design guidance to mitigate these effects.