Why reducing customer complaints is something businesses pay attention toContinue reading on UX Collective

Almost immediately after taking office, President Donald Trump signed a swathe of executive orders including a reprieve for TikTok in the US.With the executive order, Trumps Justice Department will not enforce the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act for 75 days, extending the time the company has to reach a deal.TikTok (and other ByteDance apps) went offline late Saturday, but the TikTok outage only lasted a matter of hours. Trump affirmed there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order. Trump also proposed a joint venture that would see US interests take a 50 percent stake in TikTok. Earlier on Monday, China (where ByteDance is based) signaled it was at least a little open to an arrangement with the US.TikToks rescue wasnt the only change President Trump announced. Read on, everyone.Coming up, weve got Samsungs big Unpacked event tomorrow, where we expect to see at least three new phones, a bunch of AI tricks and features of varying utility and who knows, maybe another wearable? Mat SmithThe other big storiesPresident Trump withdraws the US from the Paris climate agreement (again) So were just going to ignore what just happened in LA. and signs an executive order to rescind Bidens AI framework As big techs oligarchs and leaders applaud from the sidelines.Instagram is rushing out a new video editing app that sure sounds a lot like CapCut This weeks edition of social media rivals copying TikTok.X adds a dedicated video tab to fill the TikTok void This weeks edition of social media rivals copying TikTok. Part 2.Get this delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The Nintendo Switch 2 is officialEverything we know so farNintendoTrump is president, and Nintendo has a new console. Its 2017 all over again. The company is keeping the technical details under wraps, but the teaser shows a bigger console, bigger Joy-Cons and possibly a smoother gaming experience, judging by the Mario Kart renders.Expect the full details during the Nintendo Direct on April 2, with the company planning a worldwide roadshow to let gamers go hands-on with the console. These events start in New York and Paris on April 3 to 6, with more taking place in the following months.Continue reading.What to expect at Samsungs Galaxy S25 Unpacked eventThe S25 series is on the way.A little update ahead of the big Unpacked show tomorrow: Leakers have posted numerous renders this past week comparing the different size options. A post from Ice Universe puts the S25 Slim at 6.4mm. However, the FCC certifications made public so far only appear to cover the familiar trio of flagships. So if a slim iteration does exist, it may not arrive until much later in the year.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121543030.html?src=rss

Resident Evil 6, specifically, could be getting a current-generation release according to a new ESRB rating.

Microsoft is reportedly going to announce a new Xbox Wireless Controller later this month.

While 'super apps' have flourished in Asia, their adoption in Western markets has been slower. But more tech companies seek to bring the same model to the U.S.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday directing the United States to again withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming and once again distancing the U.S. from its closest allies.Trumps action, hours after he was sworn in to a second term, echoed his directive in 2017, when he announced that the U.S. would abandon the global Paris accord. The pact is aimed at limiting long-term global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels or, failing that, keeping temperatures at least well below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels.Trump also signed a letter to the United Nations indicating his intention to withdraw from the 2015 agreement, which allows nations to provide targets to cut their own emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. Those targets are supposed to become more stringent over time, with countries facing a February 2025 deadline for new individual plans. The outgoing Biden administration last month offered a plan to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% by 2035.Trumps order says the Paris accord is among a number of international agreements that dont reflect U.S. values and steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people.Instead of joining a global agreement, the United States successful track record of advancing both economic and environmental objectives should be a model for other countries, Trump said.Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and a key architect of the Paris accord, called the planned U.S. withdrawal unfortunate but said action to slow climate change is stronger than any single countrys politics and policies.The global context for Trumps action is very different to 2017, Tubiana said Monday, adding that there is unstoppable economic momentum behind the global transition, which the U.S has gained from and led but now risks forfeiting.The International Energy Agency expects the global market for key clean energy technologies to triple to more than $2 trillion by 2035, she said.The impacts of the climate crisis are also worsening. The terrible wildfires in Los Angeles are the latest reminder that Americans, like everyone else, are affected by worsening climate change, Tubiana said.Gina McCarthy, who served as White House climate adviser under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said that if Trump, a Republican, truly wants America to lead the global economy, become energy independent and create good-paying American jobs, then he must stay focused on growing our clean energy industry. Clean technologies are driving down energy costs for people all across our country.The world is now long-term 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.3 degrees Celsius) above mid-1800s temperatures. Most but not all climate monitoring agencies said global temperatures last year passed the warming mark of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, and all said it was the warmest year on record.The withdrawal process from the Paris accord takes one year. Trumps previous withdrawal took effect the day after the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Biden.While the first Trump-led withdrawal from the landmark U.N. agreement adopted by 196 nations shocked and angered nations across the globe, not a single country followed the U.S. out the door, said Alden Meyer, a longtime climate negotiations analyst with the European think tank E3G.Instead, other nations renewed their commitment to slowing climate change, along with investors, businesses, governors, mayors and others in the U.S., Meyer and other experts said.Still, they lamented the loss of U.S. leadership in global efforts to slow climate change, even as the world is on track to set yet another record hot year and has been lurching from drought to hurricane to flood to wildfire.Clearly America is not going to play the commanding role in helping solve the climate crisis, the greatest dilemma humans have ever encountered, said climate activist and writer Bill McKibben. For the next few years the best we can hope is that Washington wont manage to wreck the efforts of others.About half of Americans somewhat or strongly oppose U.S. action to withdraw from the climate accord, and even Republicans arent overwhelmingly in favor, according according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults somewhat or strongly in favor of withdrawing from the Paris agreement, while about one-quarter are neutral.Much of the opposition to U.S. withdrawal comes from Democrats, but Republicans display some ambivalence as well. Slightly less than half of Republicans are in favor of withdrawing from the climate accord, while about 2 in 10 are opposed.China several years ago passed the United States as the worlds largest annual carbon dioxide emitting nation. The U.S. the second biggest annual carbon polluting country put 4.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in the air in 2023, down 11% from a decade earlier, according to the scientists who track emissions for the Global Carbon Project.But carbon dioxide lasts in the atmosphere for centuries, so the United States has put more of the heat-trapping gas that is now in the air than any other nation. The U.S. is responsible for nearly 22% of the carbon dioxide put in the atmosphere since 1950, according to Global Carbon Project.While global efforts to fight climate change continued during Trumps first term, many experts worry that a second Trump term will be more damaging, with the United States withdrawing even further from climate efforts in a way that could cripple future presidents efforts. With Trump, who has dismissed climate change, in charge of the worlds leading economy, those experts fear other countries, especially China, could use it as an excuse to ease off their own efforts to curb carbon emissions.Simon Stiell, the U.N. climate change executive secretary, held out hope that the U.S. would continue to embrace the global clean energy boom.Ignoring it only sends all that vast wealth to competitor economies, while climate disasters like droughts, wildfires and superstorms keep getting worse, Stiell said. The door remains open to the Paris Agreement, and we welcome constructive engagement from any and all countries.Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Mattthew Daly and Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

President Donald Trump is pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization, raising concerns about the U.N. agencys ability to fight diseases and respond to emergencies around the globe without its biggest funder.Here are facts about U.S. financing for global health and potential implications of Trumps move, which could be followed by further cuts to international contributions.BIGGEST DONORThe U.S. contributes about 18% of funding for the WHO, which is struggling to raise cash for health emergencies from Gaza to Ukraine. The agencys two-year budget for 2024-2025 was $6.8 billion.In that period, the U.S. financed 75% of WHOs programme for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and over half of contributions to combat tuberculosis, the agencys data showed.The U.S. is the worlds top global health donor by far, giving $15.8 billion in 2022, according to Donor Tracker, a platform tracking development funding.PANDEMIC TREATYTrump is also sceptical about WHO-led negotiations for a post-COVID-19 pandemic agreement aimed at improving global solidarity when the next health threat strikes.Billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk has said nations should not cede authority to the WHO. The U.S. will cease negotiations on the treaty while its withdrawal proceeds.GENEVA PERSONNELTrumps order also said that U.S. staff and contractors working with the WHO would be recalled and reassigned.The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has worked closely with the WHO, seconding about 30 staff to Geneva and collaborating on research and outbreaks.There are also a number of WHO Collaborating Centres in America.DISEASE SURVEILLANCEThe U.S., like other WHO member states, is part of a global influenza surveillance network supervised by the WHO.Among other things, the group advises on the composition of the annual seasonal flu vaccine.Beyond its work with the WHO, the U.S. also funds many other global health programmes.AIDSThe U.S. is a major funder in the fight against HIV. Much of that comes from PEPFAR, the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).It was only reauthorised by Congress for one year last year after conservative claims that some grant recipients promote abortion. That authorisation expires in March.ABORTIONIn his last term, Trump reinstated the so-called Mexico City Policy, requiring foreign charities receiving U.S. family planning funds to certify they do not provide abortions or give abortion advice.He extended the policy, known by critics as the global gag rule, by cracking down on charities that fund other groups that support abortion. Trump also cut funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which works on reproductive health.VACCINESWith vaccine-sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Junior nominated as secretary of state for health, the Trump administrations approach to vaccinations both domestically and internationally is unclear.However, during Trumps last administration, contributions to the global vaccine group Gavi stayed roughly the same as under his Democratic predecessor and successor at the White House.Funding also stayed at a similar level for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, another major global health player.RESEARCH AND RESPONSEHealth agencies in the United States respond to emergencies and outbreaks worldwide, and also set norms and standards for medicines and safety through the Food and Drugs Administration and the CDC.The National Institutes of Health is one the worlds leading research centres and funds global health work around the world, from efforts to fight mpox to Ebola.The global role of the U.S. in these areas under Trump is not yet clear, and will likely be led to an extent by events and priorities. For example, Trump set up Operation Warp Speed, to work on COVID-19 vaccines, during the pandemic.Jennifer Rigby and Emma Farge, Reuters

Oxford practice Studio Hallett Ike has refurbished BR House, a Victorian townhouse in east London, and added a studio to its garden.Studio Hallett Ike reconfigured the home, which occupies the ground and lower ground floors of a house in Hackney, to open up its dark and cramped interiors.As a more typical extension was not viable on the site, the studio achieved this with a series of "subtle adjustments" and the addition of an independent photography studio at the end of its garden.Studio Hallett Ike has renovated BR House in east London"We were tasked with reconfiguring and enhancing the existing spaces without the option of extending the property in the traditional sense, as the bedrooms are situated on the lower ground floor," studio partner Jonty Hallett told Dezeen."Through a series of subtle adjustments, we unlocked a layout that accommodated a main ensuite bedroom, a family bathroom, and a home office," he added.One of the key changes to BR House was the removal of a wall to unite the living, dining and kitchen areas. These are illuminated by a large bay window at the front of the home and a fully glazed rear wall framed with black-steel fins.The project involved the creation of a garden studioWhile original Victorian finishes in the front living area have been retained, in the kitchen and dining space these had either been damaged or removed, and so the studio took the opportunity to introduce a "contemporary, warm, minimal aesthetic" to the space.A palette of smoked oak for the kitchen cabinets complements the black steel of the window frame, as well as stainless steel worktops and lightly stained floors.Read: Don't Move, Improve! 2025 shortlist spotlights London's best home renovations"The removal of a substantial portion of the existing rear wall and the addition of the glazed screen dramatically transformed how the kitchen and living areas are experienced," Hallett said."The abundance of natural light introduced through the expansive glazing allowed us to incorporate darker tones without overwhelming the space," he added.The kitchen features smoked-oak cabinets and lightly stained floorsOn BR House's lower ground floor, an ensuite bedroom overlooking the garden sits alongside an additional bedroom at the front of the home. A family bathroom is located alongside the staircase to the east, above which is a small office overlooking the garden.The lower bedrooms continue the minimal feel of the kitchen and dining space, with dark stone finishes used in the ensuite bathroom to create a "spa-like quality".To mirror the darker finishes used in the home, the photography studio at the end of the garden has been clad entirely in hand-charred larch beams, laid with angled edges to produce a zigzag effect.The ensuite bathroom is finished in dark stoneStudio Hallet Ike was founded by Hallett alongside Madeleine Ike in 2018.Previous projects by the studio include the extension of a Georgian townhouse in London with dark brickwork and galvanised steel and the extension of a flat in north London clad in blackened timber.The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri.The post Studio Hallett Ike transforms London home with series of "subtle adjustments" appeared first on Dezeen.

We continue our21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series with Grafton Architects' concrete university campus in Lima, Peru, a building that set a new standard for urban higher-education environments.Completed in 2015, the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) campus in Lima paved the way for Grafton Architects' Pritzker win, which would come five years later.More than that, it was the harbinger of a new approach to designing spaces for higher education and an exemplar of harnessing local weather conditions that has lost none of its relevance in the years since.The UTEC Lima Campus catapulted the career of Grafton ArchitectsStudio founders Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara designed the UTEC Lima campus with locally based Shell Arquitectos. The building is made up of a series of terraces with clefts and overhangs that shade outdoor circulation space, aiming to create a vertical concrete campus that responds to Peru's temperate climate."When designing a campus for a new University of Engineering and Technology in Lima, Peru, the Dublin-based architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara thought deeply about how to integrate the wind and the rain," wrote New York Times reporter Robin Pogrebin."It is because of that sensitivity to the natural elements, as well as qualities like their emphasis on collaboration, that the pair was selected to receive the 2020 Pritzker Prize, making them the first two women to share the profession's highest honor."Circulation space in the building was left open to the outdoorsLocated at the edge of a deep gorge, the building's soaring concrete elements create a sculptural building that rises over a busy motorway like a geological landmark.However, Grafton Architects' practical response to designing for Peru's weather and its innovative interpretation of university building typologies are what really caught critics' attention."Like in any other worthwhile building, no written nor photographic rendering can adequately represent such an ambitious artistic creation," wrote Peruvian architect Frederick Cooper-Llosa in The Architectural Review."The complex interplay between the structural and functional elements of the building creates an enticing educational atmosphere inside."The concept of a vertical campus defies convention, as does the mix of open and enclosed spacesformer RIBA president Jane Duncan"From the main entrance hall, in a succession of spaces, balconies and stairs appear suspended between a rich variety of precast beams of different lengths and thicknesses," he continued.The monolithic campus won the inaugural RIBA International Prize in 2016, described by judges as a "modern day Machu Picchu".Celebrating the best new building in the world outside the UK, the newly launched prize was the first time RIBA opened an award to all qualified architects globally rather than only RIBA members.UTEC beat other notable shortlisted projects such as Zaha Hadid Architect's Heydar Aliyev Center and David Chipperfield Architects' Museo Jumex.UTEC won the inaugural RIBA International Award in 2016"Grafton Architects have created a new way to think about a university campus, with a distinctive vertical campus structure responding to the temperate climatic conditions and referencing Peru's terrain and heritage," said the RIBA International Prize jury, headed by British architect Richard Rogers."UTEC is an exceptional addition to the city of Lima and a project that will inspire other architects and universities all over the world," added Jane Duncan, who was RIBA president at the time."Grafton Architects have created an innovative new model for a university campus that is highly responsive to its local environment and community," she continued."The concept of a vertical campus defies convention, as does the mix of open and enclosed spaces, but both are key to the success of this building visually and spatially."Grafton Architects went on to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2020Although it was not the first project to land Grafton Architects an international prize, with the studio winning the 2008 World Building of the Year Award for the Universita Luigi Bocconi School of Economics campus in Milan, UTEC started a rapid snowball of awards for the modestly sized Dublin studio.In addition to the 2020 Pritzker, Farrell and McNamara were awarded the 2020 RIBA Royal Gold Medal for their significant impact on the architecture industry, becoming only the fourth and fifth women laureates in the award's 171-year history.They went on to win the Stirling Prize in 2021 and the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2022 for another university building, the Town House for Kingston University in London.Read: Dibdo Francis Kr's Gando Primary School was the most significant building of 2001Farrell and McNamara founded Grafton Architects in Dublin in 1978 and for nearly 25 years worked solely on projects in Ireland.The pair worked tirelessly before receiving international acclaim. In an interview with Dezeen last year, they described the UTEC commission as one of the greatest moments in their decades-long career."I don't find that there's one career highlight, but in terms of opportunity, I would say that [Universita Luigi Bocconi] and [UTEC] were shots in the dark that catapulted us to another scale," said McNamara.The UTEC Lima campus was the most significant building of 2015Sandra Barclay and Jean Pierre Crousse, founders of Lima-based architecture studio Barclay & Crousse, also credited the UTEC building with changing the global view of architecture in Peru.Barclay and Crousse won the 2018 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize for a fragmented university building in rural northern Peru made from wood-textured concrete.After conflict in Peru in the 1980s and '90s, Barclay and Crousse claimed in an interview with Dezeen that Peruvian architects have gained the confidence to build high-quality architecture thanks to Grafton Architects' university building.No written, nor photographic rendering can adequately represent such an ambitious artistic creationFrederick Cooper-Llosa in The Architectural Review"Grafton are not the first foreign architects to work in Peru there are lots of buildings by foreign architects," Crousse said."But Grafton were the first to try to understand the climate, the geography, the landscape, to try to use materials that are easily used here," he continued. "To be global from local conditions, with this generosity of free space.""For the first time, we could show that generosity was possible in Peru by looking at that building."In the 10 years since its completion, UTEC remains an influential example of university architecture and a stand-out project in the portfolio of one of the world's most decorated architecture studios.Did we get it right? Was Grafton Architects' UTEC Lima campus the most significant building completed in 2015? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far.This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century.The illustration is by Jack Bedford and photography is by Iwan Baan.21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron2001: Gando Primary School by Dibdo Francis Kr2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela2007: Oslo Opera House by Snhetta2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei2009:Murray Grove by Waugh Thistleton Architects2010:Burj Khalifa by SOM2011:National September 11 Memorial byHandel Architects2012:CCTV Headquarters by OMA2013:Cardboard Cathedral by ShigeruBan2014:Bosco Verticale by Stefano Boeri2015: UTEC Lima campus by Grafton ArchitectsThis list will be updated as the series progresses.The post Grafton Architects' UTEC Lima campus was the most significant building of 2015 appeared first on Dezeen.

In the 1940s, architect Gregory Ain designed one of the first Modernist neighborhoods in America, in Altadena, California. Called the Park Planned Homes, it was a community of 28 single-story homes laid out in a cul-de-sac and utilizing shared green spaces between the homes. That aside, the location of the windows and the design of the landscaping still provided each house with visual privacy. The interiors were groundbreaking. Ain was a proponent of open floorplans, which allowed residents to configure and reconfigure their spaces as needed; this at a time when your average American house had clearly defined rooms.Ain's goal was to provide affordable housing and Modernist style to middle-class families. It worked, at least for 28 lucky homeowners. While rising costs meant the feat of building this neighborhood would not be repeated, in 2014, L.A. County recognized the accomplishment and designated the Park Planned Homes an Historic District. Fire pays no attention to such designations. Of the 12,000 (and counting) homes destroyed by L.A.'s wildfires this month, at least 20 of them were Park Planned Homes; at press time there were only four that were confirmed to be undamaged.The odds that we'll see a Modernist neighborhood like this erected again--affordably--are slim.