Zoe Rose
@zoerose.bsky.social
Research student at UTS, Mandarin columnist, trainer. Never not banging on about a) design for usability and b) design for usability for disability. Canberra.
Ask me for facts about ancient China, I dare you.
Ask me for facts about ancient China, I dare you.
Too late
Hand delicious
Hand delicious
December 8, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Too late
Hand delicious
Hand delicious
Good! You deserve it!
You do good work!
You do good work!
December 7, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Good! You deserve it!
You do good work!
You do good work!
(I'm not joking about the eugenics and statistics btw, it's a massive thing, also connected to creative thinking methodologies, which kicked off as a kind of reaction against IQ test based aptitude assessments in the US army. I've been thinking about this for years, e.g: youtu.be/i53IEqeNwVs?...)
UXA2023 Zoë Rose: Creative thinking methodologies a lost history
YouTube video by UX Australia
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 3:10 AM
(I'm not joking about the eugenics and statistics btw, it's a massive thing, also connected to creative thinking methodologies, which kicked off as a kind of reaction against IQ test based aptitude assessments in the US army. I've been thinking about this for years, e.g: youtu.be/i53IEqeNwVs?...)
So your compliment, should you choose to accept it, is: nobody in my field is writing books about important topics that people actually want to read.
You, on the other hand, are.
If you can do it, that means it can be done.
You, on the other hand, are.
If you can do it, that means it can be done.
December 7, 2025 at 3:04 AM
So your compliment, should you choose to accept it, is: nobody in my field is writing books about important topics that people actually want to read.
You, on the other hand, are.
If you can do it, that means it can be done.
You, on the other hand, are.
If you can do it, that means it can be done.
It's an incredible and resoundingly overlooked area of history, which explicitly shapes contemporary technology, and I'd love to do a PhD on it some day.
More importantly, what I *really* want to do is write an airport book. Something someone might actually *read*.
More importantly, what I *really* want to do is write an airport book. Something someone might actually *read*.
December 7, 2025 at 3:02 AM
It's an incredible and resoundingly overlooked area of history, which explicitly shapes contemporary technology, and I'd love to do a PhD on it some day.
More importantly, what I *really* want to do is write an airport book. Something someone might actually *read*.
More importantly, what I *really* want to do is write an airport book. Something someone might actually *read*.
My passion area (and believe me *I know how this sounds*) is eugenics, IQ testing, and data science. They are intricately linked - probabilistic (aka 'modern') statistics was invented by eugenicists, for explicitly ideological reasons, and IQ test results were their favourite dataset.
December 7, 2025 at 3:00 AM
My passion area (and believe me *I know how this sounds*) is eugenics, IQ testing, and data science. They are intricately linked - probabilistic (aka 'modern') statistics was invented by eugenicists, for explicitly ideological reasons, and IQ test results were their favourite dataset.
I'm very attracted by the aspect of academia where you do good thinking and it serves a purpose, repelled by the aspect where that goal gets subverted into exclusion and parochialism. So for someone like me, specifically, someone like you is actually a very valuable example of not doing that.
December 7, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I'm very attracted by the aspect of academia where you do good thinking and it serves a purpose, repelled by the aspect where that goal gets subverted into exclusion and parochialism. So for someone like me, specifically, someone like you is actually a very valuable example of not doing that.
They really hate that. They just *hate* it.
December 7, 2025 at 2:55 AM
They really hate that. They just *hate* it.
but actively embarrassed by the idea of changing anything in the world - despite intentional change-making being basically the only thing anyone can vaguely agree design actually *does* (and even that is a bit contentious). That goes double if the work might actually be read by non-academics.
December 7, 2025 at 2:55 AM
but actively embarrassed by the idea of changing anything in the world - despite intentional change-making being basically the only thing anyone can vaguely agree design actually *does* (and even that is a bit contentious). That goes double if the work might actually be read by non-academics.
Giving compliments is more interesting than formatting a thesis, so let's go.
Studying in a design faculty has been a disillusioning experience, and frankly I wasn't expecting much before I started. What I've found in my ostensible academic discipline is a culture that seems not so much afraid of
Studying in a design faculty has been a disillusioning experience, and frankly I wasn't expecting much before I started. What I've found in my ostensible academic discipline is a culture that seems not so much afraid of
December 7, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Giving compliments is more interesting than formatting a thesis, so let's go.
Studying in a design faculty has been a disillusioning experience, and frankly I wasn't expecting much before I started. What I've found in my ostensible academic discipline is a culture that seems not so much afraid of
Studying in a design faculty has been a disillusioning experience, and frankly I wasn't expecting much before I started. What I've found in my ostensible academic discipline is a culture that seems not so much afraid of
Look speaking as a pretty devoted fan of Play Anything - and the UX week talk that preceded it - I'll be very, very impressed if it is indeed better.
Would you like a bolstering compliment from a stranger? Because I've got one for you, I'm good to go here.
Would you like a bolstering compliment from a stranger? Because I've got one for you, I'm good to go here.
December 7, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Look speaking as a pretty devoted fan of Play Anything - and the UX week talk that preceded it - I'll be very, very impressed if it is indeed better.
Would you like a bolstering compliment from a stranger? Because I've got one for you, I'm good to go here.
Would you like a bolstering compliment from a stranger? Because I've got one for you, I'm good to go here.
Fortunately your books are excellent. Sorry.
(FWIW, every now and then I still see people post bits of your UX week talk that eventually turned into ‘Play Anything’. You might not like your work but we UX types do.)
(FWIW, every now and then I still see people post bits of your UX week talk that eventually turned into ‘Play Anything’. You might not like your work but we UX types do.)
December 6, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Fortunately your books are excellent. Sorry.
(FWIW, every now and then I still see people post bits of your UX week talk that eventually turned into ‘Play Anything’. You might not like your work but we UX types do.)
(FWIW, every now and then I still see people post bits of your UX week talk that eventually turned into ‘Play Anything’. You might not like your work but we UX types do.)
Addendum: I’m a columnist for a niche news publication, and I’m completing a Master’s degree.
About 60% of people who open my columns read to the end. By the metrics, I write well.
To make my thesis sound academic enough, I had to remove all the text features that made it interesting and readable.
About 60% of people who open my columns read to the end. By the metrics, I write well.
To make my thesis sound academic enough, I had to remove all the text features that made it interesting and readable.
December 6, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Addendum: I’m a columnist for a niche news publication, and I’m completing a Master’s degree.
About 60% of people who open my columns read to the end. By the metrics, I write well.
To make my thesis sound academic enough, I had to remove all the text features that made it interesting and readable.
About 60% of people who open my columns read to the end. By the metrics, I write well.
To make my thesis sound academic enough, I had to remove all the text features that made it interesting and readable.
Academia.
Because as an academic you do write, but you’re obliged to write badly.
Because as an academic you do write, but you’re obliged to write badly.
December 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Academia.
Because as an academic you do write, but you’re obliged to write badly.
Because as an academic you do write, but you’re obliged to write badly.
Follow me so I can message you the location of the nest 🪹
December 5, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Follow me so I can message you the location of the nest 🪹
He had a tiny, fluffy little red tuft. It was adorable!
December 4, 2025 at 9:50 PM
He had a tiny, fluffy little red tuft. It was adorable!
There’s a gang gang nest near my house! I saw a baby male pootling around outside the nest yesterday! Do you want me to send you the location?
December 4, 2025 at 9:49 PM
There’s a gang gang nest near my house! I saw a baby male pootling around outside the nest yesterday! Do you want me to send you the location?
While it was originally designed for a very different original use case, the product ‘splash blanket’ may be what you’re looking for. Pretty sure it’s NDIS approved.
November 26, 2025 at 5:31 AM
While it was originally designed for a very different original use case, the product ‘splash blanket’ may be what you’re looking for. Pretty sure it’s NDIS approved.
Reinforcement is cyclical, would be my reply. If you get used to a certain pattern of behaviour, you expect that pattern of behaviour.
November 24, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Reinforcement is cyclical, would be my reply. If you get used to a certain pattern of behaviour, you expect that pattern of behaviour.