A Grad Student’s First Look at Design Ethics
“Here’s a startup idea: If you want to disrupt anything, bring the focus to privacy, inclusivity, and ethics of your product. Design your principles, stick to them and make them noticeable.” — Vitaly Friedman
As part of our first module in my Experience Design Special Topics class this semester, we were asked to research design ethics. To be completely honest, I had no idea what “design ethics” were. My lack of knowledge had concluded that designers were people who picked out background colors and font faces, and designed web pages to look esthetically pleasing. Unlike doctors and lawyers, there was no possible to be “unethical” doing a job like this, right? Three weeks later I learned just how naive I was, and the real responsibilities my future self would have.
“Designers are the gateway to information.” A classmate of mine said this during her presentation. Somehow, I had failed to recognize this before starting graduate school. Designers hold the power to dictate how users perceive and interact with information. That quote by Vitaly Friedman is from his article in Smashing Magazine in which he details shady practices being used in the tech world to keep users’ attentions and drive their decision making. Of all the articles I have read on the topic of ethics, this simple one stood out the most. How is it that being honest and transparent are some of the rarest qualities today?
As someone who is taking baby steps into the tech world, this was appalling to read. How is it that designers have strayed this far from relating to other humans?
I chose four points I wanted to emphasize while crafting the first draft of my Manifesto:
Respect
Transparency
Empowerment
Accessibility
While researching this topic over three weeks, I found that these four factors seemed necessary when crafting my manifesto. Respecting the user, being transparent with the user, empowering the user, and creating designs accessible to all users. With these four points in mind I was able to lay out a set of ethical rules for myself as a new graduate design student.
1. Under no circumstances will data be collected from users under 18.
Hear me out. I know this is an idealized version of the world we live in today, but similar to buying cigarettes or gambling, having your data collected is a huge responsibility. There are 18-year-olds now who have a long history of data that has been stored about them. Companies know what their favorite shows were growing up, and which platforms they used to watch these shows. A recent article just called out Google and Twitter for keeping tabs on children’s data as a way of marketing to them. Not only is this unethical, as children are not old enough to understand why this is an issue, but it is also a way to foster addictions at a young age. If a child is being targeted by ads for things they like, this will create more incentive for them to stay online rather than taking time away from their screen. A New York Times article stated that, while drug use is overall lower amongst teens today, many teens admit they feel “addicted” to their phones and social media. Companies like Snapchat are taking advantage of this by marketing certain news outlets to teens to shape their future opinions on issues, by limiting the content they post to fit their own agendas.
2. Data collection/distribution policies will be clearly and concisely laid out to users.
It seems like a sick joke when I download a new app and the Terms and Conditions pops up. I see “Page 1 of 50” and think Really?! We live in an age of instant gratification, where you can hear a song you love on TV, Shazam that song, and buy tickets to that band’s next concert in a matter of 5 minutes. We have smart refrigerators and VR devices, and yet no one has thought of a way to consolidate the TOS agreement. No one reads these, and that’s the problem. Every single day, people blindly agree to have their data collected and sold to“improve products or to provide services or technologies to you” (via Apple Terms and Conditions). A point I spoke with my classmates on was creating a relatable and relevant TOS page to engage the user. For example, if you are downloading Tinder, you as a user would engage with the TOS through a short swiping demo, detailing what privacy you are giving up by using the app. By consolidating TOS agreements, users are more likely to acknowledge what privacies they are sacrificing. Even though many companies today don’t want this, I feel users (such as myself) would be impressed by companies wanting to create a more honest relationship with their customers.
3. I will not knowingly engage in dishonest data collection practices.
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous statement. A recent article on Axios detailed some of the most egregious user privacy violations, like when Lyft allowed drivers access to users’ personal information, such as their home addresses and contact information. Google was also targeted for tracking users’ whereabouts, even when they have opted out. This is why I feel being transparent with users is important. I am sure many users would be fine with their location being tracked by Google as a way to improve their experience with Google’s apps and sites, but doing so without the consent and knowledge of users is deceitful.
4. I will strive to give users more control over their privacy.
As previously stated, users should be more knowledgeable about what their data is being collected for. With more consolidated TOS agreements and honesty from companies, I feel users would feel their privacy was in better hands. A thought I had as something I would like to look into more was a way for users to have more of a say in what information they give up. Downloading a VPN and blocking Cookies shouldn’t be the only way to feel somewhat protected. I hope that users somehow gain more of a say, by possibly introducing an “opt out” option with data collection. This could be supplemented by a monthly fee instead. Whether this is a viable option, I’m still unsure, but giving users an option is never a bad thing.
5. I will use my power as a designer to fight omnipresent design.
This point goes back to teens and children who are struggling with technology addiction. I believe the scariest part about tech addiction today, is that it doesn’t scare people. Drug and alcohol addictions are obviously thought of as problems that need to be “cured”, while kids are becoming addicted to technology early on in their lives. Parents put iPads in their 2-year-olds hands without thinking twice. Putting it differently: would those same parents be okay putting a cigarette in their child’s hand? An article on CNN discusses the similarities between cigarettes and smartphones, and how dopamine is released in the brain while using a smart phone, the same as taking a drag of a cigarette. While smartphones may not cause cancer (that we know of), the addictive qualities of them needs to be limited. The hold they have on us 24/7, similar to that of cigarettes with smokers, has a negative effect on the mental health of those who use them excessively.
6. I will design for the good of all users.
I think it’s easy to design for users like ourselves and forget there are people in the world who don’t interpret information the same way we do. I feel no one should be limited to what they can use technology for. Rather than simply designing for the typical white, upper-middle class man, we should always take into account others that might not look and think like us.
Overall, I’m still early in the learning phase of things. I don’t have the answers to these questions, and I certainly don’t know how to create a more open and honest relationship between users and companies. But if young designers begin to think this way and become passionate about treating people like people, maybe we can begin to change things for the better.
