That Zoom Call with the Lawyer-Cat, Explained
March 26, 2021 1:23 PM   Subscribe

The surprising reason why the “cat” filter, made famous by the lawyer Ron Ponton’s cameo during a court hearing, was installed as the default on thousands of Dell computers.
A ten-minute film from The New Yorker explains why it happened.
posted by Going To Maine (20 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
As a UX designer this whole episode has felt viscerally painful to me every time I see a mention of it. OK so they're covering their asses by saying oh well video resolution was low back then so the filter made for a better experience. But there is no excuse for why removing the filter should turn out to be functionally impossible for users to figure out. Especially in a high stakes situation like you are on a very important call. In the UX profession even way back in 2012 it was well known how to test software with users before releasing it to make sure that important functions were easy to find and cognitively possible. They just couldn't be bothered. It just makes me so angry when I see these things come up. Software should be a tool we can use like a hammer or a stapler, but it has to be designed the right way and it's like just nobody gives a shit what the consequences of their laziness are for the actual human beings just trying to get along in the world with the help of their products. Who often do not have a choice whether to use the products or not. AAGGGHHH.
posted by bleep at 1:50 PM on March 26, 2021 [43 favorites]


(Not a UX designer just a downtrodden user.) What bleep said.
posted by Bella Donna at 1:56 PM on March 26, 2021 [5 favorites]


Thirding this. Our office is navigating the frustrating pile of shit that is Office 365/Teams/SharePoint I guess and we are tearing our hair out.
I feel sorry for the professor guy and anyone else whose lives have been seriously impacted by this disregard for straightforward ux design.
posted by St. Oops at 2:03 PM on March 26, 2021 [12 favorites]


There's no question this is bad software design. And, who on Earth wants a webcam driver to do this in the first place? What were you thinking, you wacky Windows programmers. Make a thing that does a thing. One thing. Then go home and make another silly thing that's fun. You don't need to combine them.

But, also, this film is delightful and beautifully composed. I did not expect to finish the day feeling fond of the Dell CTO. Thanks!
posted by eotvos at 2:10 PM on March 26, 2021 [2 favorites]


Why would it be the default state? Why?
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 2:10 PM on March 26, 2021 [4 favorites]


I don't pretend to understand high-brow filmmaking, but:
the explainers are not themselves cat-filtered for the entire 10 minutes, and I feel that choice takes away from the work.

posted by Iris Gambol at 2:27 PM on March 26, 2021 [30 favorites]


I'm super-conflicted on this. Sure, this was an egregious UX f*ckup. But on the other hand, I think of all the millions of people, myself included who for a few moments killed themselves laughing. That lawyer-cat video is Purrfect. I mean, listen to Ron Ponton's voice, it is kitten-like no? Then his bewilderment. Then the patient, humoring of Ron by his sympathetic call companions.

I heart strongly.
posted by storybored at 2:54 PM on March 26, 2021 [8 favorites]


And (oh gosh I hope this is not pejorative) but Mr Ponton kinda bear a fair resemblance to Eldest Mouse.
posted by sammyo at 3:06 PM on March 26, 2021


By strict Utilitarian accounting standards this "UX f*ckup" has been a great boon. What is the few minutes of suffering of Mr. Ponton when weighed against millions of human-hours of joy?
posted by Meatbomb at 3:14 PM on March 26, 2021 [8 favorites]


Not a cat
posted by bread crumbs at 3:32 PM on March 26, 2021 [5 favorites]




Is there a podcast version of this without the background music I can play at 1.5x?
posted by krisjohn at 4:17 PM on March 26, 2021 [1 favorite]


OK, that explains the cat filter. But what about the human filter?
posted by firemonkey at 4:54 PM on March 26, 2021 [2 favorites]


"I realized the cat was out of the bag."

That needed to be said sooner or later.
posted by rpfields at 5:05 PM on March 26, 2021 [1 favorite]


Just how old is Attorney Ponton’s work computer?
posted by schoolgirl report at 5:51 PM on March 26, 2021 [3 favorites]


Milkshake Cat...

What a horrible dude.

Thanks for that ChurchHatesTucker
posted by Windopaene at 6:31 PM on March 26, 2021


I mean, listen to Ron Ponton's voice, it is kitten-like no?

I had initially thought maybe I would name a kitten Ron Ponton to reflect this. Now that I learn a bit more about him, maybe a ferret would be more appropriate.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:54 PM on March 26, 2021 [2 favorites]


Just how old is Attorney Ponton’s work computer?
Legal professionals that charge stupidly high rates, by the minute, have no need for fast computers. Their weekly earning potential caps out at the number of waking hours in a week, and is not based on the number of whatevers they can get through in some period. I'm sure his billable hours puts me to shame, but then I bet I get a heck of a lot more work done.

I've lost track of which is better.
posted by krisjohn at 2:43 AM on March 27, 2021 [3 favorites]


What is the few minutes of suffering of Mr. Ponton when weighed against millions of human-hours of joy?
This is an unacceptable utilitarianism. I am proud to be one of those who walked away from Zoom cat filters.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 1:01 PM on March 27, 2021 [4 favorites]


See also - SNL.
posted by bendy at 2:46 AM on April 3, 2021


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