TABLE OF CONTENTS
Intro
Why we’re here. Who this is for (including a definition of design that includes everyone). What you should expect to get out of it. Why should you trust me?
The Ethics of Design
What exactly is your job? As a designer. As a citizen. Can the two be separated? Should the two be separated?
How Designers Destroyed the World
Move fast and break things
Design made the world. The problems of the past and present were made by design decisions. How is any of this our problem? And where were we standing while it happened?
Ayn Rand Was a Dick
How the current design ecosystem is geared towards making stupid, awful things that benefit the people who need to benefit the least. The end of capitalism and the service economy. Read an excerpt of this chapter.
From Bauhaus to Courthouse
Design education has failed to teach you the ethical responsibilities of your job. How design schools aren’t preparing you for the job of being a designer. And how we can fix it.
All the White Boys in the Room
What do ethics, diversity, and success have to do with one another? Everything. Designing for a global audience.
What We Can Do to Fix It
Choosing Where to Work
The choice of what to help bring into the world is a political act. Can all objects be well-designed? Can something designed to kill be well-designed? The politics of intention.
How to Set Up For Success
How to evaluate whether you are working on something beneficial. How to kick the tires. How to evaluate different points-of-view. Adding social consequences as a design consideration.
Oh, The Monsters We’ll Kill
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, bad design makes it out into the world. What do we do? How do we fix it? And how do we acknowledge our mistakes? How to steer a project.
Persuading People Is Easy
When mistakes are found what can you do? How do you build consensus? Building allegiances. Yes, it’s political. We went over that. How to design an argument. How confidence and data work together.
When to Throw Your Body on the Gears
You’re going to go crazy if you see everything as a battle. How can you tell when to stand firm and when to let it by? Not everything is a war. And we need your energy for the real ones. But also, when to burn it to the ground.
You Can’t Do It Alone
The Case for Community
Finding other ethical designers. Hiring ethical designers. Sharing your ethics with other people in the community.
The Case for Organizations
What happens when we throw a red flag or quit a job that’s being unethical? Worse, what happens when we’re fired for doing the right thing? We need an organization that has our back.
The Case for Licensing
UX makes the world, and the cost of getting it wrong is too high to just let anyone do it. Most professions require licensing. It’s time we did as well.
Conclusion
What now? Can we do all of this and still earn a living? Can we do all of this and not lose our minds? Can we afford not to do it?
