Oh yes, I agree, Peanut is terrible. I recently moved to a new area and left all my mom friends behind, so I was desperate for a way to find new ones, but it's useless. There needs to be an OK Cupid for moms.
One category that's missing on the left is "Parents." There's Tinder for parents (Peanut), Birchbox for parents (multiple subscription boxes). It would be interesting to think about what Uber or AirBnB for parents would be.
I couldn't read the article though because I got that absurd uncloseable newsletter subscription screen. That was one of the most user-hostile things I've seen on a website lately.
I assure you that UX designers (the real ones, at least) would love to get out of their ivory towers.
In every job I have had, I have begged to get out and talk to users before doing anything else. However, that idea makes folks in charge nervous. It's expensive. It might reveal secrets(?). The users might get annoyed.
One of the biggest issues is that time spent on research is time when the developers can't be developing. That seems to trump everything.
I don't understand what you gain by using the term "philanthropic investing" over "charity" if there are no monetary returns.
Edit: I'm just trying to understand why you think it's more precise to label what Bill Gates is doing as "philanthropic investment" as opposed to "giving money away."
Why? What is the return that he will make on his efforts to eradicate polio and malaria?
You could perhaps argue that his work in education will lead to a more capable tech workforce in the future, but even then, the returns won't go to him.