UXA2023 George Aye - That Quiet Little Voice: When Design and Ethics Collide
The lack of a moral framework in the design disciple, let alone a set of ethical guidelines, put designers at great risk of doing more harm than good in the world.
questions to answer and people to engage. RESEARCH Learning from people about their needs and values SYNTHESIS Finding patterns and areas of opportunity CONCEPTING Creating a high volume of new ideas PROTOTYPING Making tangible mock-ups and gathering feedback PILOTING Refining solutions in order to pilot test
and Bowen approached smokers on campus and asked them what they loved and hated about their habit.” “The complaints were consistent: fear of being seen with a cigarette and paranoia about smelling of smoke on a first date.” “Their first prototypes were ad- hoc assemblies of bespoke components and items found on drugstore shelves.”
and Bowen approached smokers on campus and asked them what they loved and hated about their habit.” “The complaints were consistent: fear of being seen with a cigarette and paranoia about smelling of smoke on a first date.” “Their first prototypes were ad- hoc assemblies of bespoke components and items found on drugstore shelves.”
design is innovative 2. Good design makes a product useful 3. Good design is aesthetic 4. Good design makes a product understandable 5. Good design is unobtrusive 6. Good design is honest 7. Good design is long-lasting 8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail 9. Good design is environmentally-friendly 10. Good design is as little design as possible
• childhood obesity • healthy eating • parent engagement • staff burnout • healthcare innovation • financial inclusion • tax prep teacher engagement • community organizing • college access and persistence • violence prevention • program integration • complex patient care • government finance • institutional racism • audience diversity • community development • neighborhood planning • HIV prevention • job skills • tenants’ rights • education policy • green space • education advocacy • digital medical records • early literacy high school choice • entrepreneurship • school transformation • social work innovation • youth character development • camp • reintegration grantmaking • donor engagement • board engagement • global health early childhood education • power analysis • community-police interaction • aging in place • teen sexual health • newborn care housing security • arts education • juvenile recidivism • climate justice
• What is Design’s relationship to power and privilege? • Which humans are we centering when we say, “Human-Centered Design”? • Who gets to be called a designer? • How do we wean Design’s addiction from whiteness? • How can designers say “No” to work when we need to pay off _____? • Design is often sink or swim but why is drowning so common? • How do designers decide which people-in-need to serve? • Why does philanthropy, not community, set the agenda for social change? • What’s the cost of speaking up? But what’s the cost if we don’t? • What right do I have to do this work?
Doctors Employers Funders Teachers Landlords Local Government Leadership Detainees Patients Employees Grantees Students Renters Community Front line staff Greater Good Studio
taking the time to answer our questions yesterday in response to our email. Unfortunately, we’ve come to the conclusion that we will be not submitting after all. We have greatly appreciated the care you have taken with our application and we hope you can appreciate that our decision to withdraw was not taken lightly. We believe that we do you best work when we take a human-centered approach to innovation. We do this by observing existing behaviors to draw upon for inspiration, which leads to the creation of new tools that we can prototype with people for their feedback. The way the _________ project is structured, is not the type of design work that we do best. We hope that our response can help you understand how we work as a firm as well as others in the field of human-centered innovation. We thank you for the opportunity to participate. Respectfully yours, George Aye 773-263-2603 Greater Good Studio greatergoodstudio.com @greatergood_ 28
taking the time to answer our questions yesterday in response to our email. Unfortunately, we’ve come to the conclusion that we will be not submitting after all. We have greatly appreciated the care you have taken with our application and we hope you can appreciate that our decision to withdraw was not taken lightly. We believe that we do ou best work when we take a human-centered approach to innovation. We do this by observing existing behaviors to draw upon for inspiration, which leads to the creation of new tools that we can prototype with people for their feedback. The way the _________ project is structured, is not the type of design work that we do best. We hope that our response can help you understand how we work as a firm as well as others in the field of human-centered innovation. We thank you for the opportunity to participate. Respectfully yours, George Aye 773-263-2603 Greater Good Studio greatergoodstudio.com @greatergood_ 29 Thanks No. It’s not you, it’s me. Justification Let’s stay friends.