The phrase "lipstick on a pig" is a metaphor that means making superficial or cosmetic changes to a product in a futile effort to disguise its fundamental failings. It has been used for centuries in various forms, including "you cant make a silk purse from a sows ear". The phrase gained widespread use in political rhetoric during the 2008 US Presidential Election, where it was used to criticize spin and to imply that an opponent is attempting to repackage established policies and present them as new.
In the product development world, "lipstick on a pig" refers to a bad product that product marketing tries to make the best of. It can be very challenging for product marketing managers to convince people to buy and use a bad product.
In the context of user experience (UX), "lipstick on a pig" means trying to compensate for or hide bad UX by adding a sexy user interface or a "wow" factor to the design. This is considered an afterthought, as all the product decisions, good or bad, have already been made.
In the workplace, "lipstick on a pig" refers to putting superficial solutions, such as implementing a new process or policy change, to fix a broken system instead of transforming the values, beliefs, and behaviors of the workforce.
There are no ingredients or materials associated with the phrase "lipstick on a pig."
