Ethical design is not a spectator sport

This was a workshop delivered at UX London on June 28, 2022.

Read more here: https://2022.uxlondon.com/speakers/kat-zhou/

Transcript

1. KAT ZHOU (she/her) @KatherineMZhou
   ETHICALLY>
   the workshop!!
   
   
   

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2. www.designethically.com
   

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3. THIS IS NOT A MAGIC WAND.
   

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4. AGENDA
   1. Introduction
   
   
   2. Framework
   
   
   3. Power / Activity
   
   
   4. Break
   
   
   5. Methodology / Activity
   
   
   6. Break
   
   
   7. Activity / Advocacy
   

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5. INTRO
   

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6. CODE OF
   CONDUCT
   1. Use welcoming & inclusive
   language
   
   
   2. Be respectful of different
   viewpoints and experiences
   
   
   3. Actively listen when others
   are contributing
   
   
   4. Take breaks when needed
   
   
   5. Vegas rules: learning leaves
   but personal stories stay
   
   
   6. Have fun!!
   

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7. INTRODUCE
   YOURSELF
   1. Name
   
   
   2. Preferred pronouns
   
   
   3. Where you practice your UX
   chops?
   

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8. GOALS FOR
   TODAY
   1. Go over
   framework and understand
   how you can redesign the
   design process
   
   
   2. Understand how power
   affects the tech and design
   industries
   
   
   3. Apply
   methodology to a product
   
   
   4. Explore ways to advocate
   within tech
   

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9. FRAMEWORK
   

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10. REDESIGNING
    THE DESIGN
    PROCESS
    

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11. INTENTS RESULTS
    Is this problem a worthy
    problem to solve?
    What consequences does
    our solution have?
    

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12. INTENTS RESULTS
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    

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13. INTENTS RESULTS
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    ship!
    ^
    Is the problem statement we defined even
    ethically worthy of being addressed?
    

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14. RESULTS
    Can any ethical violations occur if we
    implement this idea? What are they?
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    ship!
    ^
    INTENTS
    

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15. RESULTS
    Are there any new ethical issues occurring?
    How can we design around them?
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    ship!
    ^
    INTENTS
    

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16. RESULTS
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    INTENTS
    CAN WE MAKE A HABIT OUT OF THIS?
    

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17. RESULTS
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    INTENTS
    CAN WE ENSURE WE STAY SOCIALLY-
    EMBEDDED IN OUR PRACTICE?
    

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18. WHAT IS
    POWER?
    

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19. The ability or official authority to
    decide what is best for others. The
    ability to decide who will have
    access to resources. The capacity
    to exercise control over others.
    
    
    Leaven 2003 Doing Our Own Work: A Seminar for Anti-Racist White Women
    
    
    Visions, Inc. and the MSU Extension Multicultural Awareness Workshop
    

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20. Leaven 2003 Doing Our Own Work: A Seminar for Anti-Racist White Women
    
    
    Visions, Inc. and the MSU Extension Multicultural Awareness Workshop
    AGENTS
    DISCRIMINATE,
    

    MARGINALIZE, EXPLOIT,
    DISENFRANCHISE
    TARGETS
    

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21. Leaven 2003 Doing Our Own Work
    
    
    Visions, Inc. and the MSU Extension Multicultural Awareness Workshop
    AGENTS
    OPPRESS
    TARGETS
    

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22. 2020 USC Suzanne Dworkek-Peck Diversity Toolkit
    IDENTITIES
    religion/
    spirituality
    sexual
    orientation
    race/
    ethnicity ability/
    disability
    age gender
    neurodiversity
    class
    education
    

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23. DISCUSSION
    QUESTIONS
    1. How might designers
    have power over others?
    2. How might tech
    companies have power
    within societies?
    3. How might technology
    reinforce oppression?
    10 min
    

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24. SUBVERSIVE
    DESIGN
    

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25. FingerWorks TouchStream
    

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26. W3C Accessibility Principles
    

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27. Signal
    

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28. CONSIDERATION
    CARDS
    

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29. making a task
    easier
    discriminating
    exploiting
    anyone
    making people
    dependent
    putting others
    down
    magnifying
    social issues
    spreading
    misinformation
    connecting
    people
    creating
    entertainment
    spreading
    information
    functioning as
    a useful tool
    enhancing
    commerce
    + -
    

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30. BRAINSTORM
    IN GROUPS 1. Think of products with
    just one positive aspect.
    2. Think of products with
    a positive aspect and a
    negative one.
    3. Think of products with
    multiple positive and
    negative aspects.
    10 min
    

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31. BREAK
    

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32. ACTIVITY
    

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33. RESULTS
    Can any ethical violations occur if we
    implement this idea? What are they?
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    ship!
    ^
    INTENTS
    

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34. Unforeseen Consequences
    unintended consequences
    

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35. Unforeseen Consequences
    unintended consequences
    

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36. LAYERS OF
    EFFECT
    PRIMARY
    intended, known
    SECONDARY
    intended, also known
    TERTIARY
    unintended, possibly known
    

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39. DESIGNERS
    SHOULD…
    1. Define and design
    ethical primary and
    secondary effects
    2. Forecast tertiary
    effects and ensure they
    pose no significant harm
    *anti-racist, abolitionist, sustainable,
    compassionate, reparative, equitable
    *not just for the elite, but also for
    the most vulnerable in our societies
    

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40. FORECASTING
    TOOLKIT
    behavioral
    economics
    history
    ethnography
    intuition
    literature
    sociology political
    science
    introspection
    future studies
    

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41. CHOOSE YOUR
    PRODUCT
    

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42. 360 REVIEW
    

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43. LIST ALL ENTITIES
    IN THE SYSTEM
    system
    a web of interrelated entities
    

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44. LIST ALL ENTITIES
    IN THE SYSTEM
    system
    ex. Bay Area housing market,
    the Brazilian rainforest,
    tourism industry in Prague, etc.
    

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45. LIST ALL ENTITIES
    IN THE SYSTEM
    entity
    literally anything, anyone, or any
    construct that exists within the
    system
    yayy recursive definitions!!
    

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46. LIST ALL ENTITIES
    IN THE SYSTEM
    yayy recursive definitions!!
    entity
    ex. hotels in Prague, Czech
    government, local residents in
    Prague, public transportation, etc.
    

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47. CONNECT THE
    ENTITIES
    power
    capacity of an entitity to in
    fl
    uence
    the states of other entities
    

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48. CONNECT THE
    ENTITIES
    symbiotic
    draw a solid line between two
    entities if they have a symbiotic
    power dynamic
    

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49. CONNECT THE
    ENTITIES
    tense
    draw a dotted line between two
    entities if they have a tense power
    dynamic
    

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51. DICHOTOMY
    MAPPING
    

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52. LIST BENEFICIAL
    ASPECTS
    macro
    affects a family, a neighborhood,
    a community, a nation, etc.
    ex. Airbnb
    stimulates the
    local economy
    by bringing in
    tourists
    

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53. LIST BENEFICIAL
    ASPECTS
    micro
    affects an individual
    ex. Airbnb
    provides cheap
    but comfortable
    lodging for the
    traveler
    

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54. LIST HARMFUL
    ASPECTS
    ex. Airbnb
    provides cheap
    but comfortable
    lodging for the
    traveler
    

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55. LIST HARMFUL
    ASPECTS
    macro
    affects a family, a neighborhood,
    a community, a nation, etc.
    ex. Airbnb can
    play into
    gentrifying
    neighborhoods
    

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56. LIST HARMFUL
    ASPECTS
    ex. potential
    danger for
    hosts & guests
    if Airbnb is
    abused
    micro
    affects an individual
    

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57. BREAK
    

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58. REDESIGNING
    YOUR PRODUCT
    

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59. THINGS TO
    CONSIDER…
    1. How would you redesign
    your product, considering all
    the tertiary effects?
    
    
    2. What systemic factors
    relating to power need to
    be addressed?
    
    
    3. Are there non-tech
    alternatives to your product?
    10 min
    

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60. ADVOCACY
    

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61. RETHINKING
    METRICS
    1. What are the underlying
    incentives behind the metrics
    of success that you use?
    
    
    2. Are any of those metrics
    proxies? How would you
    classify their effectiveness?
    
    
    3. How might you use metrics
    that align more with well-
    being for your users/society/
    the planet?
    5 min
    

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62. MAKING A
    CASE…
    1. What is the mission
    statement of your company/
    team/product?
    
    
    2. What are potential barriers
    in your organization for
    ethical design?
    
    
    3. Have you ever spoken up
    about something at work?
    What was that like?
    5 min
    

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63. THANKS!
    

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