About 10 – 12 min read
Hello friend,
well-meant is not the same as well done. Helpful support goes way beyond good intentions: paying attention, making specific offers, a bit of admin now and then, occasionally a redesign of how things work.
In the professional and personal worlds, as well as with awareness days and campaigns, we often barely scratch the surface. No tool “fixes” a person or a disability, and no single awareness day ends stigma.
But we believe that this is the first drop to create bigger waves that could eventually splash over onto new land.
Let's build it together.
This month’s inspiration images come from the BBC Doctor Who gallery (2022 - 2025)
This month’s bites
Time Lord Tunes
For TARDIS Day, we want to ease you into the Whoniverse. Maybe you don't even know what we're talking about, or maybe you're a Whovian who is very particular about your Doctor(s) or your Doctor Who soundtrack. Either way, we've tried to pick some cherries for all of you. This performance from the 2013 Proms is so utterly impressive, and the music such a work of art, that we've chosen it as your appetizer.
November’s Just Lost Its Grey
This month we discover awareness days like the International Day for Tolerance, when crime against marginalised groups is on the rise and Stress Awareness Week, when we're all aware we're facing way too much stress. It’s time to escape into some different dimensions.
Tardis illustration by adidad8 via Vecteezy.
Let’s Talk About It
Stressing About Stress
Stress affects our wellbeing deeply, yet we haven't learned how to deal with it. We reach for malfunctioning coping mechanisms first and stress about ourselves for naturally using them. Or we chase a little getaway and stress about planning, booking, massages, needing to feel zen, and then there’s still the trip back home. Meanwhile, we miss what this moment really needs: creativity, play, connection. Find a more in-depth resource how to manage stress here.
Tolerance and Its Catch
When we talk about tolerance, we soon face the paradox: tolerating everything means tolerating those who would end tolerance, and they would inevitably take over. Not a new thought at all. Draw the line at human rights, stay generous with everyone else. Check out our resource for this at the Book Bites.
Still On
It's not new that TV and its culture have changed. But we act like shows designed for second screens are new. They've existed for decades, ever since TV became dominant in our living rooms. The on-demand part is what actually changed. TV isn't dead though. It's just not really covered by the digital spotlight anymore.
Death by a Thousand Clicks
Did Usability Really Improve That Much? Many of us still face a lot of classic UX fails on a daily basis. Everyone who works in the field knows the hustle, and UX/UI faces a lot of obstacles like data privacy requirements, technical realities, or department clashes. But if even the big players miss their usability targets like empty maps and information overflow, how can the small fish keep up?
Serious Business
World Toilet Day sounds like a fun little joke, but it's actually there to tackle some serious issues. Our world is desperately short of clean toilets, safe access to them, and a fair distribution. Poor sanitation drives disease and contamination. Sanitation is a human right and public health issue. Find great and interesting resources on the United Nations website.
The Energy Battery Audit
Sometimes we can't pinpoint exactly what's stressing us, so let's get to the bottom of it. What fuels us? What drains us?
Let's draw
Draw a large rectangle – Shape it like a standard battery gauge.
Divide it into 4 horizontal segments – Each represents a different energy domain: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Add Inputs and Outputs:
To the left of the battery, draw a [+] sign.
To the right, draw a [-] sign.
Populate each side:
Under [+]: List your energy givers – sleep, movement, meaningful connections, healthy meals, clear boundaries.
Under [-]: List your energy takers – micromanagement, clutter, poor nutrition, people who leave you feeling depleted.
Walk through your day: For each item, ask: Does this give me energy or take it?
Reflect: How can you bring more [+] and fewer [-] into your daily life?
Is this newsletter getting cut off? There's more to it. Switch to the online version to see it all.
Oh no, Clippy!
Some of us remember Clippy very vividly: the universally hated animated paper clip from Microsoft Word that kept getting in the way of our workflows. It's discussed to this day as one of the biggest usability fails. Looking at it from today's perspective makes it quite interesting:
It never learned from past interactions, lacked personalization or memory of user preferences, unlike LLM models that still reference past conversations and blend them with new ones, even when you're on a completely different issue.
It fell into the "letter trap", assuming what you were about to do based on few cues and sticking to it, unlike LLM models that need specific, detailed prompts to give you the output you're looking for.
Microsoft ignored user research warnings about Clippy's annoying, condescending character, unlike LLM models that are always nice and agree with you, even if it's harmful.
Clippy was most hated for its intrusive pop-ups, whereas LLM models sit patiently to be commanded.
The moving paperclip wanted your attention all the time, like being on too much coffee, and was fully personified. Modern AI systems may have names and gender-specific voices, but there's no "face" to the machine anymore (exception: the purple cat from Lumo).
So it remains open to debate: were the learnings from the Microsoft usability fail "well done" or merely "well meant"?
Sprinkling a bit more sci-fi, Badgey from Star Trek: Lower Decks, is a fun parody of Clippy who takes the idea of “helpful technology gone wrong” to spectacular extremes.
Guess Less, Watch More
Our example for this month's recurring topic, "beyond good intentions," is how Chimeful itself was born.
Some In Your Face users kept creating recurring calendar events for everyday reminders. That revealed a different need, and it led Martin to build Chimeful.
We watched what people actually do, and stopped guessing what they need. It's hardly rocket science. Just a reminder of how market research should work before building anything new.
And on an unrelated note we too are mourning the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart.
Things Are Only Impossible Until They Are Not.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, “When the Bough Breaks” (1988).
For Instant Breaks
For Immediate Relief
Not in our wildest dreams did we think we'd be recommending a public toilet app, but here we are: Compiss. A name that makes us giggle, and an app that could be a “lifesaver” one day. It directs you straight to your next loo. And not just that: it shows you opening hours, a cleanliness rating, and whether it's paid or free.
Talking About Tolerance
We neurospicy folks often can't stand certain noises like beeping, buzzing, ticking. Noise‑cancelling headphones work like a charm, but sometimes you need counter‑noise to drown them out. Enter the myNoise app: it layers in landscape sounds that mask the irritation.
Bigger on the Inside
Some Whovians may say "Duh" and others may not have discovered one of the best Doctor Who books yet. Even if the Eleventh isn't your Doctor, this book delivers. It combines beloved Weeping Angels, wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey moments, tension and sparkling banter all in one place. It is not easy to write a story where the enemy only moves when you are not looking. Jonathan Morris did a splendid job.
Where social justice meets self-help. It explores why stress fuels intolerance, why emotion beats fact in forming opinions, and why agreeableness is destructive. But angry confrontation also changes nothing. It’s not both-sides-ism, not capitulation dressed up as peace. Instead: hold clear boundaries, require civility from those you disagree with, stay civil yourself. That changes the world too.
*About our book links: We prefer to link to authors and publishers directly. When that isn’t possible, we may link to Amazon to make the book easier to find internationally.
Tiny Internet Treats
Just little proofs that the internet is still weird, playful and worth exploring.
Why Am I Winning?
It's so stupid, it makes no sense — we love it. Of course there are games about toilets, and we found them. Enjoy levels that are completely illogical and where you don't know why you fail or succeed!
Click Anyway
Don't Click the Button is for the inner rebel in all of us. It's simple. The simplest. A button begs you not to click it; things escalate. What happens when you reach fifty clicks?
TL;DR – Too Long; Didn’t Read
Wibbly-Wobbly Orchestra. Take a glance at the Whoniverse.
Awareness Touchpoint. A fun mix-up raising one big question: What's beyond good intentions?
Let's Talk About It. Stressing about stress, being intolerant of intolerance, and making it user-unfriendly.
Drawing the Lines. Learn how to visualize your energy vampires and energy boosters.
Usability Gone Bad. Did we learn enough from Clippy?
Hello From Us. Why we created Chimeful.
Sweet Relief. Apps that help you with immediate urges.
Weeping Angels vs. World Peace. Your call: Escape into an exciting sci-fi novel or face the reality of tolerance in this world.
Cherry on Top. Discover bites of the weird internet, featuring a toilet game and a button that doesn't want to be pushed.
Before You Go…
Missed our October issue?
You can catch up here.
What to expect in December
This December we look at the ups and downs, move mountains, and dig up some soil.
Enjoying Blue Banana Bites?
If we brightened your day or made you laugh, you can support our work with a coffee.
Or simply share it with someone who might enjoy it too. That helps us just as much.
