Annotated

Exploring the overlaps between design, people, product, science, and tech — one messy idea at a time.

by B. Prendergast @renderg.host

Stop asking users what they want — and start watching what they do.

People's opinions about themselves and the things they use rarely match real behaviour.

December 04, 2025

The point is to understand

Machines can’t make sense of the world for us.

October 16, 2025

Fidelity scales inline with certainty

Fidelity in design isn’t about how finished something looks — it’s about knowing when something is ready to be finished.

October 12, 2025

The AI recruitment ouroboros

AI has broken the simple act of getting a job.

October 11, 2025

The worst designer I've ever worked with was also the most productive

When companies mistake volume for value, and incentivise outputs over outcomes.

October 09, 2025

Bring squiggle birds to your workshops

A simple silly and powerful drawing exercise that unlocks creative thinking instantly in workshops about complex things

October 08, 2025

The product designer's paradox

How UX design’s quest for more influence led to its quiet subordination

October 07, 2025

Business leaders don’t care about design (and that’s a good thing)

Or why your boss was probably right not to support your design ideas.

October 04, 2025

Incentives Eat Strategy for Breakfast

How short-term sales culture destroys product strategy—and what founders can do to stop it.

October 03, 2025

Yes, we can do things. So, can everyone?

The spirit of “we can just do things” only compounds when it spreads. If we want this moment to last, we can’t just build for ourselves.

October 01, 2025

Equity Compensation: A Lottery Ticket with Terrible Odds

Exits are low probability events and don't offer real value to workers.

October 01, 2025

Beyond RFPs: breaking the procurement cycle in academia.

Standardised tenders entrench incumbents, stifle innovation, and lock institutions into costly outdated systems that aren't fit for purpose

September 25, 2025

The best predictor of your SaaS failing is visualising your future too soon

Why high-fidelity mockups create cognitive lock-in that prevents real growth

September 24, 2025

Ghost kitchens in academia: How AI wrapper products threaten research integrity

Behind the glossy branding and false authority, wrappers hide the same flawed systems — eroding trust, distorting methods, and putting academic knowledge at risk.

September 22, 2025

The AI Bubble: Efficiency Theatre at Scale

Investors embraced AI not for its genius, but for its promise to cut people, cut costs, and boost portfolios.

September 21, 2025

AI in Peer Review: Heuristics for Academic Publishers

A draft evaluation framework to assess risks, trade-offs, and practices in scholarly communication.

September 19, 2025