Shauna GMMay 15, 2023

I'm looking for examples of UX/interface design where:

* users started using a feature in a way that wasn't intended (can be for good or for ill)
* the product team responded by removing the feature entirely

Also very interested in interfaces where there is an obvious feature that users would want/need that's not provided, and that feature is obviously not provided because it's against the interests of the company who makes the software.

Can anyone think of examples which fit?

Show threadStephen Baker
@shauna
Plase don't overlook that @signalapp removed SMS/MMS interoperability from their Android app against the vociferous objections of their user community.
May 15, 2023 at 9:01pmWeb
Show threadShauna GMMay 15, 2023
@prmam What was their ostensible reason? And why do you think they did it? (If you don't mind my asking; I can always do a web search)
Show threadStephen BakerMay 15, 2023
@shauna
There was surface lip service of moving away from phone number as base identity. This has yet to be realized. For privacy reasons, the change was for the better. But until the same change is made to iOS, it will be very difficult. The change may also allow reduction in the amount of code to maintain. I'm not an app developer. But I think that this is going to be an uphill climb. I have found it more difficult to evangelize #e2ee messaging since @signalapp stopped supporting #SMS / #MMS.
Show threadJamesGeckoMay 20, 2023
@shauna @prmam IIRC they discovered that despite labels and warnings about SMS in-app, some users assumed that ANY message sent from Signal was encrypted. So they removed all possibility of confusion.