Making Sense of Ethics in Design: A Discussion

UXAUS2019 Day 1- Harry Mann, Sophie Goodman, Grace Turtle Polifroni & Mitch Cullen Are we truly designing experiences that meet our user’s needs? Recently, many digital experiences have been held to account for negatively impacting the people they are designed to serve. Optimising for engagement has created addictive, unhealthy behaviours, conversion optimisation has in some cases resulted in ‘dark patterns’ which seek to deceive users and digital automation now threatens people’s livelihoods. Leading technology companies must now confront the implications of the products and services they create on people and society, and many are introducing tools to improve the wellbeing of their users. But there is still a long way to go. We believe ethical design is critical to our ongoing success as UX practitioners. We are positioned to influence decision makers in regards to future experiences and measures of success. Our challenge is to shape our design approach in a way which optimises the wellbeing of the end user and considers the long-term impact over short term utility. To discuss this topic we’ve brought together a panel of diverse design leaders, specialised in digital product and service design, digital delivery, applied anthropology and design futuring. Our panel will share their perspectives on the role of ethics in design as well as practical ways to introduce ethical decision making into designing and delivering digital experiences. We will then open up the panel and allow audience members to participate in the discussion by submitting questions anonymously using their phones.