Remember when technology was supposed to make life easier? That dream is long gone. Instead of simplifying our lives, modern UX has become an endurance test designed to see how much frustration the average user can endure before smashing their device.

Older adults are completely left behind, struggling with interfaces that make no sense.

But here’s the real kicker—even younger users, the so-called “digital natives,” are constantly battling against counterintuitive design, hidden options, and convoluted processes. It’s not just a generational problem anymore. It’s a universal one.

Tech companies love to call their interfaces “intuitive,” but what they really mean is, “intuitive if you’ve spent years memorizing our specific logic.” Take something as simple as taking a screenshot. Once upon a time, you pressed a single button and it worked.

Now, depending on your device, you might need to press the power button and volume up at the exact same time—too fast, and nothing happens; too slow, and you accidentally turn off your phone. On other devices, you might have to swipe your hand across the screen like you’re casting a spell.

Meanwhile, on MacBooks, there are three different keyboard shortcuts for taking a screenshot, each more obscure than the last. Why? Who decided that a basic function needed to be turned into an obstacle course?

And don’t even get me started on turning off an iPhone. You hold the power button, but not for too long, or Siri pops up instead. Then you have to confirm with an extra swipe. Apparently, the simple act of turning off a device is no longer a straightforward decision—Apple needs to make absolutely sure you really want to do it.

Everyday interactions with technology have turned into a guessing game. Trying to clear your browsing history in Chrome? Good luck. That setting is buried under multiple menus, as if Google is actively hoping you’ll give up and let them keep your data forever.

Switching between apps on a Mac? You better know the magic key combination, because clicking around is just going to waste your time.

Even smart TVs are guilty of this—want to adjust the settings? You’ll first need to locate the invisible button hidden on the back of the device. Because apparently, that’s an improvement.

Tech companies love to pretend that their designs are intuitive. But intuitive for who? If you’re someone who hasn’t spent years using their ecosystem, you’re left stranded. Icons don’t have labels anymore because “minimalism” is trendy.

But that just means people have to randomly tap buttons until they figure out what they do. A three-dot menu? That could mean settings, or sharing, or deleting your entire account—there’s no way to tell. A gear icon? Sometimes it’s preferences, sometimes it’s settings, sometimes it leads you to a completely different menu that has nothing to do with what you were looking for.

This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a complete barrier to entry for older users. If you hand an iPad to someone who didn’t grow up with touchscreen gestures, how are they supposed to magically know that swiping up from the bottom brings up the control center? It’s not written anywhere. There are no instructions. UX designers just assume that everyone already knows. And if you don’t? Too bad.

But here’s the thing—it’s not just bad design. Some of this is intentional. Making things confusing is actually beneficial to tech companies. If an interface is frustrating, you spend more time trying to figure it out, which boosts engagement metrics.

If you can’t easily turn off notifications, you’ll probably just leave them on, which means more opportunities for companies to push ads in your face. If you accidentally sign up for a free trial, they’re certainly not going to remind you when it ends, because they want you to forget so they can start charging you.

And then there’s accessibility, which is somehow getting worse instead of better. Fonts keep getting smaller and smaller, with no option to adjust them. Interfaces use low-contrast colors that are unreadable for visually impaired users.

Gesture-based controls assume you have the reflexes of a trained pianist. If you don’t have perfect eyesight, perfect motor skills, and a perfect memory for obscure settings, technology is increasingly working against you.

At this point, UX has become ageist by design. Instead of creating interfaces that work for everyone, tech companies are building products for hyper-coordinated 25-year-olds who already know the system inside and out. And if you’re not in that category? You’re left struggling.

So why isn’t this getting fixed? Because Big Tech doesn’t care. Frustration keeps people engaged. The harder it is to use an app, the more time you waste inside it.

The more difficult it is to adjust your settings, the less likely you are to opt out of data tracking. The more confusing it is to cancel a subscription, the more likely you are to keep paying for it. This is all by design.

The only way out of this mess is consumer backlash. Tech companies won’t change unless they’re forced to. Right now, they have no incentive to make things simpler because complexity benefits their bottom line.

But users are getting fed up. Even younger generations—who are supposedly “good with technology”—are starting to push back. People are tired of learning new, convoluted workflows just to do basic things. They don’t want “innovative” UX. They want tech that just works.

The question is, how long will it take for companies to realize that making technology usable is more important than making it cool?

Until then, we’re stuck with interfaces that require a PhD in frustration.