The left hand should know what the right hand is doing

Marcin Wichary has posted today an article “The left hand should know what the right hand is doing” on his blog Unsung. It shows several scenarios across different apps and websites, in which one part of the app suggested something useless or impossible, while the other should already have been aware that it makes no sense.

I immediately remembered two similar cases.

1. Amazon shows ads for refrigerators after I bought one

This one is maybe borderline, but I suppose not many people decide to buy a second refrigerator immediately after they have bought one.

The same is also valid for Amazon’s selection of similar products, where they often show duplicate things, which people usually buy just a single item.

2. Spotify announces new album release, after I’ve already listened to it

This is my favorite and it repeats every other Friday for me.

I often start the day by listening to the Release Radar playlist or going directly to the New Releases section and playing new albums. Some of them I have pre-saved, but it doesn’t trigger a notification when I first open the app on the release day.

It’s only in the afternoon when Spotify finally reminds me about the album I’ve already listened.

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