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Ethical Design

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Advocate Effectively

3:20 with Hope Armstrong and Michelle Zohlman

Here are techniques you can use to advocate for ethical design.

New Terms:

  • Human-Centered Design (HCD): A philosophy defined by "the active involvement of users and a clear understanding of user and task requirements". Developed by Don Norman (among others). Definition from the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)
  • ICE: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (see link below for further reading)

Further Reading:

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    MICHELLE: The ability to effectively advocate for ethical design in your organization 0:03
    depends on several factors, many of which are outside of your control. 0:08
    The most foundational place to start is with advocating for human-centered design. 0:13
    Developed in part by Don Norman, 0:20
    it's a philosophy defined by the active involvement of users and 0:23
    a clear understanding of user and task requirements. 0:28
    By centering humans and product discussions, 0:32
    we are poised to make ethical decisions. 0:34
    Designers connect with users when they conduct user research. 0:37
    But other folks in the organization may not be as in tune with the products' 0:41
    audience. 0:46
    If you're a designer, share the user struggles and 0:46
    successes with the entire organization. 0:50
    Develop diverse personas that address a range of genders, 0:52
    physical disabilities, internet speeds, and so on. 0:56
    Use storytelling to create empathy. 1:02
    UX designer Cora Cowles spoke about this at the Treehouse Festival in 2020. 1:05
    Build empathy for people, not users. 1:11
    Present quantitative findings first, and then qualitative. 1:14
    Stories resonate with people more than hard numbers. 1:18
    They add context to your decision making, and 1:22
    help leaders understand the ethical concern. 1:24
    Accessibility advocate Laura Kalbag emphasizes that designing for 1:29
    disabilities helps everyone. 1:34
    Designing for 1:36
    vision-related needs helps everyone use their device in bright sunlight. 1:37
    Improving products for deaf and hard of hearing people enables me to watch 1:42
    videos with the captions on without disturbing people around me. 1:46
    Making interfaces more accessible for 1:51
    those with motor-related needs makes them easier to operate for others. 1:53
    To learn more about accessibility, check out the teacher's notes. 1:57
    Ban together with co-workers. 2:03
    When employees join together with a common vision, companies take notice. 2:05
    Amazon workers have formed affinity groups to advocate for environmental and 2:10
    warehouse worker justice. 2:14
    And GitHub employees have organised a protest against GitHub's 2:17
    contract with ICE. 2:20
    The employees do not want to be complicit in ICE's human rights abuses. 2:22
    If you feel impassioned to reform a company policy, 2:27
    find other folks in the organization who care about ethical design, 2:31
    and advocate for change from within. 2:36
    As a final note, be careful to assess the situation. 2:39
    Not everyone is able to advocate without repercussions. 2:43
    Cultural differences and team dynamics can impact how effectively you can advocate. 2:46
    Some cultures have a do-as-you're-told mentality, 2:52
    while others welcome critical discussions. 2:55
    Ask yourself, what are the consequences of being the skeptic in the room? 2:58
    Some of us in the United States work in employment at-will states. 3:03
    So be careful to understand the consequences of speaking out. 3:07
    I know it's not ideal. 3:11
    Please don't feel pressure to do more than you're able to. 3:13
    Take care of yourself, and good luck out there. 3:16

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