Design Ethically: From Imperative to Action

by Kat Zhou

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KAT ZHOU (she/her) @KatherineMZhou

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CREATOR of MOM to a rescue doggo

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www.designethically.com

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WHY ETHICS?

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POWER

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

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

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WHY ETHICS?

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YOU

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WHO YOU THINK YOU INFLUENCE

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YOUR PRIVILEGE x TECH DIFFUSION = AMPLIFIED POWER

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

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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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HOW DID WE GET HERE?

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

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

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OPPRESSIVE   DESIGN

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

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

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

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

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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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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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ETHICS FOR DESIGNERS

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ETHICS ISN’T ALWAYS…. Law Religion Social norms

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WHAT’S GOOD? WHAT’S BAD? WHAT’S BOTH?

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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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SAFETY TRANSPARENCY AUTONOMY

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TRANSPARENCY SAFETY AUTONOMY

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TRANSPARENCY SAFETY AUTONOMY

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

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REDESIGNING THE DESIGN PROCESS

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

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

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

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

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FORECASTED CONSEQUENCES OFTEN ARE DESIGN PROBLEMS.

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LOOKING AHEAD

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WE HAVE UNPRECEDENTED POWER TODAY…

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HOW DO WE SCALE AND MATURE THE DESIGN ETHICS MOVEMENT?

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TECH SOLUTIONISM IS NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER.

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

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

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