When design stops being a solution and becomes a trap

A recent episode put app design at the center of a global debate: the head of Instagram was called to testify in court about the platform’s design responsibility for the mental health of children and teenagers.

The news exposes a topic that has always been present in internal product discussions but has rarely gained the public dimension it deserves: design shapes behavior.

And when misdirected, it can shape suffering.

Features like endless scroll, persistent notifications, infinite feeds, and recommendation loops are not accidents. They are conscious product decisions. The problem begins when these decisions stop serving the user and start serving screen time exclusively.

The “stopping point” that disappeared

Endless scroll removes something subtle yet essential to the human brain: the signal of completion. When we finish a page, close a chapter, or complete a task, the brain understands that it’s over. There is a natural exit point.

Infinite scroll eliminates that reference. It creates a passive flow in which there is no rational reason to stop — only fatigue. In design, we learn to remove friction to make life easier for the user. But when we apply that principle to infinite content, we turn ease into a trap.

The user stays, but the quality of that time drops sharply.

To me, the ethical boundary is clear: engagement should be a consequence of delivered value, never of captured attention. If a product needs psychological tricks to keep someone inside, it likely lacks real value.

Design stops being a tool and becomes a time hijacker — especially serious when we are talking about children and teenagers, who are still developing their self-control and reward mechanisms.

The wrong KPI creates the wrong product

Much of the problem starts inside companies, in how success indicators are defined. If the KPI is screen time, return frequency, and retention at any cost, the inevitable result will be a design that induces dependency.

But if the KPI is problem resolution, navigation clarity, task efficiency, and perceived value, the product changes completely — and the business thrives in a far more sustainable way.

Tired users develop aversion. Respected users develop trust. And trust reduces CAC and increases LTV far more than addiction ever will.

There are clear and smarter alternatives. Intention-based design creates exit points, summaries of what has been consumed, active user curation, and a sense of completion instead of FOMO. When users feel they have completed something, they leave satisfied. When they feel they might be missing out, they leave anxious — or never leave at all.

Anxiety has never built brand loyalty.

Responsible design is business strategy

I often use a simple analogy: if an engineer builds a bridge that collapses, they are held accountable. In digital products, failures are not structural, but psychological and ethical. We can no longer hide behind “I was just executing the brief.”

Today, there are already objective ways to measure whether a design generates dependency, anxiety, or compulsion: cognitive fatigue tests, analysis of unsolicited app returns, and validated scales of problematic use.

If an interface version increases the perception of urgency, guilt, or FOMO, that is as serious a warning as a critical bug.

I believe we are entering the era of responsible design — design that will be evaluated by user autonomy, clarity of decision-making, reduction of cognitive friction, emotional safety, and intentional rather than compulsive use.

Companies that cannot prove this will face two inevitable problems: regulation and reputation. And here is the strategic point few discuss: what is not measured does not exist in the boardroom.

Responsible design will stop being just a UX topic and will become a C-level agenda — part of risk management, business strategy, and brand protection.

I see a future where the best companies are those that demand less of the user’s attention to deliver more value. Because in the end, the best design is not the one that holds you captive. It’s the one that improves your life and lets you go.

---

To learn more, access other blog posts by clicking here.If you’d like to discuss a project, contact us through the form here as well.