Contribute a villain pattern

Found a villain in your product?
Help others find theirs.

The methodology grows through contribution. Every villain pattern that gets added makes the next investigation sharper. It's anonymous by default, and credit by name only if you want it.

What I'm looking for

A specific Actor, Not a vague persona.

If you can name a specific Actor (made up is fine), describe how they operate, and point at where the pattern appears in your live products, that's enough to contribute.

Patterns I'm always hungry for:

Submit the pattern

It's anonymous by default, Credit by name if you want it.

The pattern matters more than the attribution. But I'm happy to credit you in the methodology if you want your name on it. No pressure either way.

Contribute a villain pattern

Pattern name, how they operate, and where it appears are required. Everything else is optional.

Your name, your choice.

The contribute form asks how you'd like to be credited: by name, anonymously, or not at all. It shows that the startup or company keeps an active eye on the user journeys and interations, and are always on the lookout for villains lurking in their products. It adds a level of safety and trust for the users.

Patterns may be incorporated into the Villain's Hat methodology, the action bank and content (Substack, podcast, talks). Submitting grants me a license to use what you wrote under the project's proprietary license. See the full terms for detail.

AI Momentum Podcast

Want to talk about the villains on the record?

If you've spotted villains in your own product, or one you've watched closely, and want to talk through how you found them and what you did to fix the issues, I want to have that conversation. Season 2 of the AI Momentum Podcast is built around stories like yours.

  1. 30-minute intro call. We meet, you tell me what you've seen, I get to know how you think. I record and transcribe with tl;dv. Not for publication. Just so I don't lose anything. Casual, off the record.
  2. I send you a conversation flow doc. A structured outline of the questions I'd want to ask, what we'd cover, where the surprises would land. You edit, push back, tell me what's missing or what's too sensitive.
  3. We schedule the formal recording. Same energy as the intro, just on the record. Usually 45 to 60 minutes. The episode will be publishded on Substack, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcast.

If you want in, book the 30-min intro call below. No prep needed. Just show up and we'll talk through what you've seen.

Book the intro call → Watch past episodes →

Prefer to message first? DM me on LinkedIn.