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Design Ethically: From Imperative to Action

Kat Zhou
June 28, 2022

Design Ethically: From Imperative to Action

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

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

Kat Zhou

June 28, 2022
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Transcript

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

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  2. CREATOR of
    MOM to a rescue doggo

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  3. www.designethically.com

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  4. WHY ETHICS?

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  5. POWER

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  6. 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


    Visions, Inc. and the MSU Extension Multicultural Awareness Workshop

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  7. Leaven 2003 Doing Our Own Work


    Visions, Inc. and the MSU Extension Multicultural Awareness Workshop
    AGENTS
    DISCRIMINATE,

    MARGINALIZE, EXPLOIT,
    DISENFRANCHISE
    TARGETS

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  8. Leaven 2003 Doing Our Own Work


    Visions, Inc. and the MSU Extension Multicultural Awareness Workshop
    AGENTS
    OPPRESS
    TARGETS

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  9. 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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  10. 2020 USC Suzanne Dworkek-Peck Diversity Toolkit
    OPPRESSION
    INDIVIDUAL
    INTERPERSONAL
    INSTITUTIONAL
    SOCIETAL/CULTURAL

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  11. WHY ETHICS?

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  12. YOU

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  13. WHO YOU THINK YOU INFLUENCE

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  15. YOUR PRIVILEGE x
    TECH DIFFUSION =
    AMPLIFIED POWER

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  16. DESIGNERS SHOULD DEFINE &
    DESIGN ETHICAL EXPERIENCES
    AND ENSURE THEY POSE NO
    SIGNIFICANT HARM.

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  17. DESIGNERS SHOULD DEFINE &
    DESIGN ETHICAL EXPERIENCES
    AND ENSURE THEY POSE NO
    SIGNIFICANT HARM.
    *anti-racist,
    sustainable,


    equitable,
    compassionate
    *not just for the elite,
    but also for the most
    vulnerable

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  18. HOW DID WE
    GET HERE?

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  19. ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer), completed in 1945 for the US Army

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  20. WHAT DRIVES THE TECH INDUSTRY?
    WHAT DRIVES THE DESIGN ORG?
    WHAT DRIVES THE COMPANY?
    WHAT DRIVES THE RACIAL CAPITALIST SYSTEM?
    WHAT DRIVES THE PRODUCT TEAM?
    WHAT DRIVES THE LOCALE?

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  23. IN ORDER TO SURVIVE IN THE TECH
    INDUSTRY, COMPANIES MUST
    RUTHLESSLY DESIGN FOR GROWTH.

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  24. OPPRESSIVE

    DESIGN

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  25. PRODUCT CYCLE
    Quarterly objectives and key
    results (OKRs) are chosen
    Designers + engineers tweak
    product to achieve OKRs

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  26. Oftentimes, employee performance is
    tied to how they were able to impact
    OKR achievement
    Employees have an incentive (direct or
    indirect) to fulfill their OKRs
    EMPLOYEE
    PERSPECTIVE

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  28. DECEPTIVE DESIGN PATTERN:

    A USER INTERFACE THAT HAS BEEN
    CRAFTED TO TRICK USERS INTO
    PERFORMING ACTIONS THEY MIGHT
    NOT HAVE INTENDED TO PERFORM

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  29. https://twitter.com/SimonGabriel/status/1409483750296145921/photo/1

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  30. https://twitter.com/martylafl/status/1366361890201489408/photo/1

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  32. https://twitter.com/darkpatterns/status/1363426620653117440

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  33. DECEPTIVE
    DESIGN

    END GOALS
    Get users to share more data
    Get users to spend more money
    Get users to engage more time

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  34. Deceptive design can pose as a threat
    to our autonomy
    WHY
    DECEPTIVE
    DESIGN IS
    UNJUST
    At best, they are a nuisance to most…at
    worst, they can hurt the most
    marginalised in our communities

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  35. ETHICS FOR
    DESIGNERS

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  36. ETHICS
    ISN’T
    ALWAYS….
    Law
    Religion
    Social norms

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  37. WHAT’S GOOD?
    WHAT’S BAD?
    WHAT’S BOTH?

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  38. VIRTUE ETHICS
    vertu (“moral excellence” in French)
    Habitually-established way of
    living life according to excellent
    character traits tracing back to
    Confucius and Aristotle
    Habitually-established

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  39. SAFETY
    TRANSPARENCY
    AUTONOMY

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  40. TRANSPARENCY
    SAFETY
    AUTONOMY

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  41. TRANSPARENCY
    SAFETY
    AUTONOMY

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  42. RELATIONAL AUTONOMY
    relatio (“recount” in Latin) + al (“like” in Latin)


    + autos (“self” in Greek) + nemein (“just deal out” in Greek)
    Socially-embedded framework for
    autonomy was pioneered by
    Catriona Mackenzie and Marina
    Oshana, among others
    Socially-embedded

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  43. “BEING OPPRESSED MEANS
    THE ABSENCE OF CHOICES.”
    BELL HOOKS
    author, activist, feminist

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  44. REDESIGNING
    THE DESIGN
    PROCESS

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  45. DEONTOLOGY
    déon (“duty” in Greek) + logos (“knowledge” in Greek)
    Intents-based ethical framework that
    is most commonly associated with
    Immanuel Kant’s philosophies
    Intents-based

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  46. CONSEQUENTIALISM
    consequentia (“effect” in Latin) + ism (“system” in Latin)
    Results-based ethical framework
    that is often associated with
    Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart
    Mill
    Results-based

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

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  48. INTENTS RESULTS
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    ship!
    ^

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  49. 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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  50. 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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  51. 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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  52. RESULTS
    EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST
    EVALUATE FORECAST MONITOR
    INTENTS
    CAN WE MAKE A HABIT OUT OF THIS?

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

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  55. FORECASTED CONSEQUENCES
    OFTEN ARE DESIGN PROBLEMS.

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  56. LOOKING
    AHEAD

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  58. WE HAVE
    UNPRECEDENTED
    POWER TODAY…

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  59. HOW DO WE SCALE AND MATURE
    THE DESIGN ETHICS MOVEMENT?

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  60. TECH SOLUTIONISM IS NOT
    ALWAYS THE ANSWER.

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  61. …AS AN INDUSTRY
    Overhaul our metrics we use
    to gauge our performance
    Create a new pipeline for a
    diverse and inclusive workforce
    Equip designers with more
    than just design skills

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  62. …AS A COMPANY
    Encourage a culture of
    transparency & openness
    Grant amnesty to workers
    Stop ethics-washing

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  63. Be okay with saying ‘no’
    Learn and unlearn
    Define your values
    …AS AN INDIVIDUAL

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  64. “IN ORDER TO TRANSFORM
    THE WORLD, WE MUST
    TRANSFORM OURSELVES.”
    GRACE LEE BOGGS
    philosopher, activist, author

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  65. IT’S HARD.
    REALLY, REALLY,
    REALLLLLY HARD.

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  66. NOBODY IS NEUTRAL AND DOING
    NOTHING IS NOT NEUTRAL.

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  67. THANK YOU

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