Technology should complement, not overwhelm us

Hi there,

Our innate human curiosity has always been our greatest tool for solving problems and gaining understanding. Throughout history, philosophers like Aristotle and Socrates have sought answers to fundamental questions relating to human existence, reality, and value. And while our everyday questions may not tackle the meaning of everything, they play an important part in constructing how we perceive the world around us.

We recently sat down with tech philosopher and author Alex Wolf to discuss technology's role in modern society. Named one of the "Top 100 Most Creative People in Business" in 2016 by Fast Company, she asks how we can design tools to complement rather than overwhelm our humanity.

Over on the blog, we tackle the question of how to architect time to be more productive in the absence of being able to create it. Daisy Chaffee, an Executive Assistant here at Intercom, reveals a bit of the magic that goes into constructing a well-managed calendar.

To continued curiosity,

Beth McEntee

What we've been writing

DES TRAYNOR

Intercom on Product: Meet your marketer

Our co-founder Des Traynor and SVP of Product Paul Adams discuss the importance of collaboration between product and marketing teams, especially as a company scales.

meredith castile

Conversational design for better products

The rhythmic exchange of human conversation is deeply hardwired into our social neurophysiology, and it's something we've now come to expect from our interactions with computers. We explore how conversational UX can help close the gaps between products and users.

DAISY CHAFFEE

Take back your time: How to unlock the hidden value in your calendar

Time is an incredibly finite resource, which makes knowing how to manage it all the more important. We share our top tips for managing your calendar so you can be effective, efficient, and productive.

Tech philosopher Alex Wolf on designing harmonious technology

DEE REDDY

Tech philosopher Alex Wolf on designing harmonious technology

Tech philosopher and self-described "consumer-facing anthropologist" Alex Wolf explores issues related to technology's pervasive role in modern life and what happens when we adopt tech without analyzing its consequences.

What we've been reading

Can't we do better than NPS? →

If you're looking for an accurate way to measure retention, you need to look past NPS. OpenView's VP of Market Strategy Kyle Poyar explains that NPS should only be used as a thermometer when it comes to logo and net dollar retention – not a diagnostic tool.

What efficient mentorship looks like →

Mentorship is a crucial part of professional life, but as we navigate through a pandemic, it's also important that we preserve our own fuel supplies. Establishing a time budget and setting clear expectations with mentees can help when it comes to fuel-efficient mentoring.

2020 Google paid search trends that have nothing to do with the pandemic →

Understandably, a recent focus for advertisers has been the impact COVID-19 has had on the paid search landscape. Looking beyond COVID, researcher Andy Taylor dives into some of the recent trends affecting paid search that have nothing to do with the pandemic.