Ethics for Design
Drake Dong & Xiyu Chen
About My
Research
We chose three design interviewers from different majors. Their understanding of the ethics of design is from various perspectives. We also read experts’ articles, which they analyze this topic more professional and provide objective appraisals. We learned a lot from my interviewers and the articles that I read. They help me to dive in more on this research topic.
01
02
Qualitative: Interviews
We did interviews for three designers, and they all from different fields. Due to their various personalities and majors, their answers for ethics for design tops are different.
Questions
Job: Student
Major: Environmental design
From: Pennsylvania, USA
Age: 22
Working experience: Internship
Source: Recording
03
Carlos believes that design is meant to be helping people and make the world a better place. Although consumerism is popular right now, he thinks the designer should focus on design that benefits society, rather than only focus on profit. In his design field, he did not encounter the privacy issue and ethics for design yet. However, he would never use the offensive elements to his plan, and he believes that take advantage of human weakness to design products is unethical. He mainly concerns about environmental friendly during his project and will find a way to reach this pursuance. If he encounters directors' unethical demand during the design, he will always try to negotiate with them.
Carlos
Job: Student
Major: Illustration design (Entertainment)
From: Hong Kong, China
Age: 23
Working experience: None
Source: Online texting
Andrey believes that ethics for design is means designers should respect the parties involved, and do not harm anyone. It is rare for him to face environmental issues, user privacy issues, and ethical issues because the fantasy nature of entertainment gives him a lot more freedom. He will not accept plagiarism because it is essential to respect the original creators, and that is a potential risk on his reputation. He respects other cultures and will change his design base on it. For the long-term benefit of the company, he would focus on the user’s experience first. His primary focus is on the target audience; the minority’s unique needs would be low on his list of design requirements.
Andrey
04
Job: Student
Major: Product
From: Guangzhou, China
Age: 18
Working experience: None
Source: Recording & partly video
05
Huilin believes that ethics for design means to do things legally and does no harm to anyone. Her classmates use materials that come from animals, and she thinks it will shrink user scope. She firmly supports human rights and will quit the project if clients pressed her. She will not do public benefit design right after she graduate because she needs to help her living first. Although she does not agree with some cultures and beliefs, she will still do her job, unless that belief will damage society. After she watches the documentary, she cares about the environmental issue. Huilin will not design useless products, but she sees human weakness as human behavior, and it is a way to make a profit and fulfill users’ needs.
Huilin
Quantitative:
Reading and References
We read three articles about ethics for design. Different authors analysis and emphasized different situations, which they all expect the designers to have basic moral principles.
06
What Are “Ethics in Design”?
As design rapids change over the past decade, many designers ignored the ethical guidelines. The article references to a soap dispenser that inability to recognize different skin color. However, an inclusive design expands the product’s total market. Many experts believe that design education should include ethical training because the design solution will have an environmental, cultural, and social cost. It plays into users’ values, preferences, and behaviors, even change human’s future performances.
07
How Design Designs Us: Part 3 | The Ethics of Design
This article mainly focuses on the human brain. Humans have incredible resilience in adapting to new ways. Design is an influential social revolutionary. The designed world creates people, and it establishes artifacts, cities, communities, and technologies that guide human behaviors. Although people have different ethics, planning the material and technological world around the human, Designer must consider public ethic, because it will shape our current and future living experience.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Ethics in UX Design
Ethical issues continue to shift and grow as more technology is developed. However, the majority of the ethical problems in UX design are not discovered until the product is released.
08
09
Summary of Research:
Ethics for Design
Design is more than a job that creates a product and gains the profit. All the articles emphasize the design’s impact on human performances and future development. Although my interviewees have different ways of solving ethical issues during their design, they all respect users and basic ethics. Ethic is essential for design education, because designers are the one that shapes future, and subtle influence people daily.
From the research, I feel UX designers should take ethics for the design more seriously. As a new design field, UX designers do not have a lot of guidelines to follow, since we are the pioneers and bridge that shapes how new technologies and the public links together.
v
Thank You
All Interview Questions
Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conduct of an activity.