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Unsubscribing Should Take One Click and One Day

Gmail already makes bulk senders offer one-click unsubscribe and honor it within 48 hours. The federal rule still allows 10 business days. It’s time the law caught up.

Every Customer Service Chatbot Needs a “Talk to a Person” Button

Bots are fine for package tracking and password resets. But when something really goes wrong, customers deserve a visible, no-tricks way to reach a human.

Let Me Check Out as a Guest

Phones Should Deliver Notifications in Batches by Default

A field experiment found people who got notifications three times a day felt happier and less stressed. The setting already exists. It just needs to be the default.

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Your Library Card Is the Best Subscription You’re Not Using

Free ebooks, audiobooks and magazines, no late fees and no monthly bill. Before your next subscription purge, try the library first.

No, I Will Not Rate My Experience

Every purchase, delivery and phone call now ends with a request for stars. When everything asks for feedback, the feedback stops meaning anything.

Let People Leave the Group Chat in Peace

Muting is not a solution. Messaging apps should let event chats end on their own, and leaving a group should not feel like storming out of a party.

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Take the Photo. Then Put the Phone Away.

Research suggests that taking pictures can make us enjoy moments more, and remember some of them less. The answer isn’t to ban the camera. It’s to be choosy.

Read Receipts Should Be Off by Default

Read receipts turn a moment of reading into a public promise to reply. They should be off until you choose to share them.

Stop Spinning the Tip Screen Around

Tipping for real service is fine. Being asked to tip for a bottle of water you fetched yourself is not, and surveys suggest the prompts are backfiring.

Give Me Back My Car’s Buttons

Touchscreens are fine for maps. They are a terrible way to turn on the defroster at 65 mph, and the evidence backs that up.

My Oven Does Not Need to Talk to My Phone

Connected features are fine as an extra. But an appliance that only works properly through an app is a worse appliance, and we should stop pretending otherwise.