Timeline

November - December 2024 (4 weeks)

Role

UX Researcher

Tools

Google Docs, Google Slides, Canva

Mission

Create a communication piece that effectively shares key concepts of information architecture with a specific audience. Present your findings with the goal of demonstrating your ability to explain complex Information Architecture topics clearly 

Research

Defining Ethical Design?

- Involves creating products that align with your values, beliefs, and the core principles of your business

- Usability should be a basic requirement, for an unusable product is considered a design failure 

Nielsen Norman Group defined five core components of usability:

• Learnability - How easy is it for first-time users?

• Efficiency - How quickly can users perform tasks?

• Memorability - What is the experience for returning users?

• Errors - How many errors do users make and how severe are these errors?

• Satisfaction - How pleasant is the use of the design?

- Accessibility should also be incorporated into the development process of any product’s design. When making a product more accessible, you should think about those who are “left out”

The Foundation of Ethical Design

- UX professionals can refer to the "Ethical Hierarchy of Needs” pyramid, developed by Aral Balkan and Laura Kalbag, to understand at greater lengths how to make informed decisions as designers

- The Four Principles of Ethical Design:

• Designing for well-being- prioritizes user well-being by avoiding manipulative patterns that can mislead users or promote harmful behaviors, ex: dark pattern designs

• Designing for accessibility- Digital accessibility ensures content and applications are usable by people with diverse abilities, promoting equity in the digital space

• Designing for privacy- Protecting privacy is fundamental to ethical design, to allow building trust and enhancing the user experience. Designers can ensure privacy by creating clear notices and easy-to-use settings that allow users to control and delete their data

• Designing for sustainability- This approach combines design thinking with global development priorities, focusing on human-centered solutions that address community challenges

Examples of Unethical UX Design

- Credit card info required for free trial

• This example involves deceiving users into unknowingly committing to a paid subscription after a free trial. After the trial ends, the company covertly converts the trial account into a paid subscription without notifying the user. Since the user's credit card details are already on file, the company begins charging them for the subscription without their explicit consent. The user may only realize the charges when they review their bank statement, but by then, the company makes it difficult to cancel the subscription, trapping the customer into paying for an extended period.

- Signing customers up for promotional emails automatically

• This example involves placing the option to receive promotional emails or newsletters in a way that makes it easy for customers to overlook, often by using tiny, inconspicuous text. his design tactic takes advantage of customer inattention and the placement of information to trick users into subscribing to unwanted content, leading to frustration and email overload.

- Pop-ups

• This example shows how websites use manipulative tactics to collect user information, such as email addresses, through aggressive pop-up ads.  It works like this large pop-up ad appears on the screen, prompting users to sign up by entering their email address. The ethical alternative would be to design the pop-up with equal prominence for both the "Sign Up" and "No Thanks" buttons, allowing users to easily choose whether or not they wish to subscribe without feeling forced into it. This approach respects user autonomy and creates a more positive user experience.

Our Final Recommendation for becoming more Intentional and Ethical 

- Clear Ethical Conversations

• Leaders must openly discuss the ethical implications of new technologies and define potential risks (ethical nightmares). This should be done transparently and in direct terms

- Alignment at the Top

• Senior leaders need to be well-versed in these technologies and aligned on the ethical challenges they pose, ensuring they are prepared to lead from an informed position

- Gap and Feasibility Analysis

• Companies should conduct thorough assessments to identify gaps in their current approach and determine the feasibility of mitigating potential risks

- Strategy and Implementation

• Based on these insights, companies must develop and execute a comprehensive strategy that addresses ethical challenges across the organization