<p>Sorry, but I have to say it...</p><p>We are optimizing our way to boredom.</p><p>Measure everything, test every variation, and optimize the customer journey until it’s <em>&quot;perfect&quot;. </em></p><p>That seems to be the mantra of modern business today.</p><p>But in this first episode of 2026, our guest ​Kendra Shimmell​ throws a big wrench in this machinery.</p><p>Kendra argues that while things like A/B testing validate what works right now, they often come at a steep cost. </p><p>Because if we rely solely on reacting to quantitative data to make small, incremental improvements, we eventually, you guessed it, optimize our way to mediocrity and boredom.</p><p>We lose the soul in our services.</p><p>Kendra shares a painful example of this phenomenon in action: social media algorithms. </p><p>You click on a cool backpack once, and the system thinks it has you figured out. Suddenly, your entire feed is just backpacks. A lot of backpacks.</p><p>The algorithm is &quot;optimized,&quot; sure. </p><p>But it has stripped away all the serendipity, turning a place of discovery into a repetitive, boring experience. </p><p>As Kendra put it, just because you can keep a user clicking doesn&#39;t mean you aren&#39;t exhausting them. </p><p><strong>So, the question is</strong>: Why do organizations default to this? </p><p>Why are we so focused on squeezing out efficiency rather than exploring new avenues?</p><p>When I asked Kendra, her answer was blunt: <em>&quot;Greed, Fear, and Confusion.&quot; </em>Ouch.</p><p>The greed to squeeze out the last 1% of revenue. </p><p>The fear that if they try something new, they won&#39;t find product-market fit again. And the confusion that comes from ignoring the fact that humans are wildly irrational beings driven by feelings, not spreadsheets.</p><p>This conversation is a wake-up call to stop treating our customers like subjects in a scientific experiment and start treating them as people to co-create with.</p><p>And if your organization isn&#39;t ready to hear that? Well, Kendra has some advice on how to be a little &quot;sneaky&quot; to get the work done anyway!</p><p>The conversation ends with a question that pairs perfectly with a long walk, somewhere where you can let a little serendipity back into your day:<em> &quot;When, where, and how is it most important to be human?&quot;.</em></p><p>Happy New Year and keep making a positive impact!</p><p>Be well, </p><p>~ Marc</p><p><br></p><p>--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- </p><p>00:00 Welcome to Episode 244</p><p>04:30 Why We Need Co-Creation Over Experimentation</p><p>08:30 The Twitch Lesson </p><p>14:30 Why Excessive Optimization Leads to &quot;Beige&quot;</p><p>16:03 Social Media &amp; the Algorithm</p><p>23:45 Backpack Rabbit Hole</p><p>25:30 3 Forces of Stagnation</p><p>32:30 Funding Analogous Thinking</p><p>35:00 Creating Space for Change</p><p>38:30 The Compliance Pilot Strategy</p><p>44:15 MVW (Minimum Viable Working Model)</p><p>45:45 Permission vs. Action</p><p>48:45 Moments of irrationality: taxes vs buying</p><p>52:45 Doing Things Better vs. Doing Better Things</p><p>56:15 Living Inside the Algorithm</p><p>58:15 Why We Must Learn to be Bored Again</p><p>1:01:45 The Role of the &quot;Human in the Loop&quot; in the Age of AI</p><p>1:04:15 Case Study: Designing for Distance</p><p>1:06:15 Question to ponder</p><p><br></p><p> --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- </p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendrashimmell/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendrashimmell/</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p> --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- </p><p>Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. </p><p><a href="https://www.servicedesignshow.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=episode_description&utm_id=244&utm_term=servicedesignshow&utm_content=v4" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle</a></p><p><br></p><p>--- [4. FIND THE SHOW ON] ---</p><ul><li>Youtube ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-youtube" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-youtube</a></li><li>Spotify ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-spotify" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-spotify</a></li><li>Apple ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-apple" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-apple</a></li><li>Snipd ~ <a href="https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-snipd" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://go.servicedesignshow.com/244-snipd</a></li></ul>