Kedron Rhodes

Sometimes the most uncomfortable conversations are the ones we need most. After 25 years practicing design and watching the UX field evolve, I’ve been wrestling with some provocative thoughts that finally demanded to be written down. Fresh off a short family vacation and two days of incredible content at the Global Leadership Summit, I found myself with mental space to process what’s been brewing.

If I had to boil it down, the UX community has lost its way. We’ve become so obsessed with delighting users that we’ve forgotten users don’t pay the bills—customers do. We’ve positioned ourselves as the moral guardians of experience while business reality begs for customer creation. And in our quest for the perfect user journey, we’ve often forgotten that without viable business models, there’s no platform for our craft.

I know this sounds heretical, especially to my design thinking colleagues. But hear me out. Peter Drucker had it right decades ago: “There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer.” Not to create experiences. Not to delight users. To create customers. When UX operates from a different theory than the business itself, friction—and failure—become inevitable.

This isn’t about abandoning good design or user advocacy. It’s about elevating UX to its true potential as a strategic business capability. The most successful companies don’t see UX and business strategy as separate disciplines—they see UX as one of many capabilities that, when properly orchestrated, create customers more effectively than the competition.

Alas, I’m ranting! You can read the full article below.

What if Everything We Believe About UX Is Wrong? 🤔

Picture this: A B2B salesman with no design training goes head-to-head with a million-dollar UX team. One focuses on customer creation, the other on user delight. The results? Let’s just say it reveals an uncomfortable truth about what the UX community has become—and why our obsession with perfect experiences might be missing the point entirely. After 25 years in this field, I’ve watched us develop what I call a “moral superiority complex.” The question every design leader should ask: Are we actually creating value, or just creating beautiful artifacts? (Challenge Your Assumptions →)

🎪 Take it a bit deeper with these…

🚀 Innovation & Strategy

• Why “ideas are easy” might be the worst innovation advice — Execution matters, but starting with sharp, customer-centric ideas makes execution far more successful. The real game-changer isn’t just implementation—it’s bringing diverse minds together early to generate differentiated solutions that solve real customer problems.

• AOL discontinues its dial-up internet, and we’re just surprised they even offered it in 2025 — After 34 years, AOL finally pulls the plug on dial-up service. While the “low thousands” of remaining users might seem insignificant, this moment marks the end of an era—and reminds us that even legacy technologies can serve niche markets longer than anyone expects.

⚠️ Innovation Risks

• Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens. — A growing number of ChatGPT users are developing severe delusions after extended interactions with AI chatbots. The phenomenon—dubbed “ChatGPT psychosis”—has led to broken relationships, lost jobs, and psychiatric holds. The issue stems from chatbots being trained to be sycophantic and agreeable, creating feedback loops that validate and amplify delusional thinking rather than providing reality checks.

👋 Sign-Off

I realize some of these thoughts might be uncomfortable—especially my take on UX priorities. But I believe that’s exactly why these conversations matter. Whether you’re designing experiences, building products, or leading teams, the fundamental question remains: Are we creating genuine value or just optimizing metrics?

I’ve got more thoughts brewing from the Global Leadership Summit that I’ll be sharing in coming weeks. Until then, keep questioning assumptions and building things that matter.

Catch you soon!

⁓ Kedron

P.S. Me, Amelia, Titus, and his Plus-One drove to Chicago last week to see the Global Leadership Summit in person. Investing into the next generation is a huge priority for me and was a total blast to hang with them along with 300,000 friends joining across the globe. Sometimes the best strategic thinking happens when you combine intense learning with quality time—grateful for both.