Slides from my IA Summit 2017 Academics and Practitioners Roundtable lightening round presentation. Slides consider some lessons that can be drawn from real-world examples of how the UX and IA skill set have been employed with ill effect. Warning: presentation contains some graphic imagery.

1. Designing Against Humans:
Lessons from Masterworks
Jeffrey Ryan Pass | IA Summit 2017 Academics & Practitioners Roundtable | 22 March 2017

2. About Me &
Why This Talk

3. Why this talk?
David Bloxom’s presentation last year.
The idea of IA masterworks.
The theme Designing for Humans.
My first career and my personal demons.
And two other notions…

4. Labor and the artifacts of labor can be employed for good or not.

5. Polar bears
are cute.
Unicorns
inspire us.

6. But all wild animals (real or mythical) are wild animals.

7. Out of Scope

8. The World
Wide Web
and all the
goodness
(badness)
therein.

9. Voting & Elections

10. There were many obstacles to Nelson
Mandala’s 1994 election as South
Africa’s first black chief executive

11. Like ballots designed to appear simple
while intentionally confusing low-literacy
and first-time (read as black) voters

12. Not that the US does
it any better

13. And neither time or
technology had made much
of a difference.

14. And neither time or
technology had made much
of a difference.
Though we
are getting
better.

15. A Place for
(and an Eye on)
Everything

16. Disney,
IKEA,
casinos and
many more
work hard
to ensure
that once
you enter,
it’s hard to
leave with-
out seeing
it all.

17. Hierarchy and
categorization are
important, and
useful especially
when focusing on a
group or persona.

18. Dante knew
hierarchy is
important,
especially
for grouping
people and
things.

19. But people like don’t always like to be grouped.
And many belong to more than one group.

20. Once a punishment and deterrent,
Bentham’s Panopticon is now norm.

21. The Panopticon notion
started as a single eye
and evolved into a
network of eyes
overseen by an all-
seeing, all-knowing eye.
Sauron?
Amazon?

22. ~ End ~

23. References

24. Winn Goodbody Photography (05.04.2016). 2016
IA Summit (conference photography). Retrieved
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http://www.wingoodbody.photography/Event/2016-
IA-Summit/. Use: ® Winn Goodbody.
Massimiliano Lincetto. (03.15.2008). Dachau
Camp – Gas Chamber. Retrieved 01.112017,
from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dachau_c
amp_-_gas_chamber.jpg. Use: GNU FDL
References (1 of 4)
Le.Mat. (08.21.2011). Wall of skulls & bones
[photo taken in the Paris Underground, shared on
flickr; image cropped]. Retrieved 01.112017, from:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rkbxl/6318120120.
Use: CC BY-NC 2.0.
O’Reilly Media, Inc. (n.d.). Information Architecture
For the Web and Beyond (book cover) [book cover
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http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034674.do
?sortby=publicationDate#tab_04_2. Use: meets
O’Riley Media, Inc. T&C.
Google Art Project (artist. Unknown) (02.20.2011).
The Unicorn in Captivity [from Wikimedia
Commhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_
Africaons and the Google Art Project]. Retrieved
01.11.2017, from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Unic
orn_in_Captivity_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg Use:
PD.
Wikimedia Commons (03.16.2015). Ferrassie
Skull [clear background]. Retrieved 01.13.2017,
from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferrassie
_skull_clear.png. Use: GNU FDL.

25. Associated Press ().
Retrieved 01.12.2017, from:
http://blog.apimages.com/2014/07/18/a-
celebration-of-nelson-mandela/. Use: Associated
Press©; consistent with T&Cs.
References (2 of 4)
Chris King, Quark Expeditions/AECO
(06.24.2015). Polar Bear and Narwhal. Retrieved
01.13.2017, from:
http://www.expeditioncruising.com/2015/07/tourist
s-and-researchers-work-together.html. Use:
Christopher King©; shared through Expedition
Cruising Blogger and Blogger share.
Didier Descouens (12.29.2010). Arrowhead Front-
Robert [discovered Gavaudun Lot-et-Garonne,
France, from the collection of the Museum of
Toulouse]. Retrieved 01.13.2017, from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fleche_F
ont_Robert_231.4.jpg. Use: GNU FDL.
Healthcare.gov (10.2013). Healthcare.gov Waiting
Room [screenshot]. Retrieved 10.03.2017 from:
https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/b/create-
account/. Use: PD.
Unknown (unknown). Logo of the Scull and Bones
[source: Yale University Archives]. Retrieved
01.12.2017, from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bones_lo
go.jpg. Use: PD.
Frederick Brownell (04.24.1994). The national flag
of the Republic of South Africa [image
manipulated for use as a background]. Retrieved
January 13, 2017, from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Africa.
Use: PD.

26. Wikimedia Commons (05.04.2016). Columbus
Ohio Congressional Districts. Retrieved
01.13.2017, from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus
OhioCongressionalDistricts.svg. Use: CC A-SA
4.0 I.
References (3 of 4)
Wikimedia Commons (03.16.2015).
Australopithecus Sediba [transparent background].
Retrieved 01.13.2017, from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Australopi
thecus_Sediba_-_Transparent_Background.png.
Use: CC A-SA 4.0 I.
Elkanah Tisdale (1812). The Gerry-Mander
(political cartoon). Retrieved 01.13.2017, from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Gerr
y-Mander_Edit.png. Use: PD.
Fox4 News (Fox Television Stations/FTS)
(10.27.2016). Tarrant County woman admits early
voting problem was her fault (untitled article
image). Retrieved 01.13.2017, from:
http://www.fox4news.com/news/214081302-story.
Use: FTS Limited Content License
David Brauchli/AP (02.25.1994). Historic 1994
South African Ballot. Retrieved 01.13.2017, from:
http://natedsanders.com/historic_1994_south_afric
an_ballot____the_election-lot41431.aspx. Use:
Nate D. Sanders Auctions© consistent with shite
sharing policy.
InSapphoWeTrust on flickr (02.25.1994). 2000
Presidential Ballot, Palm Beach County, Florida -
Museum of American History, Washington, DC..
Retrieved 01.13.2017, from:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnylawyer/54816
39542/in/photolist-5fCD4i-dUAHYY-9moQsA. Use:
CC BY-SA 2.0

27. References (4 of 4)
Sandro Botticelli (between 1480 and 1490). La
Carte de l'Enfer (Chart of Hell) [image cropped
and edges cleaned for use]. Retrieved 12.21.2016,
from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandro_B
otticelli_-_La_Carte_de_l'Enfer.jpg. Use: PD.
Inter IKEA Systems B.V. (n.d.). IKEA Adelaide
Store Map [from the IKEA mobile shopping app].
Retrieved 12.28.2016, from:
http://m.ikea.com/aa/en/stores/adelaide/storemap/.
Use: meets IKEA Systems B.V. Catalog
Application non-commercial T&C.
G.P. Holford (1828). Millbank Prison Plan (from
“An Account of Millbank Penetentury”). Retrieved
01.13.2017, from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millbank_
Prison_Plan.jpg. Use: PD.
United States Holocaust Museum Washington
(05.12.2006). Nazi camp ID-emblems in a 1936
(German illustration). Retrieved 12.21.2016, from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_c
amp_badge. Use: PD.
Department of the Army (USA) (05.12.2006).
Intellige FM 34-52 nce Interrogation Field Manual
34-52 (FM 34-52) (05.12.2006). Retrieved
09.28.1992, from:
https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm34-52.pdf. Use:
PD.
Department of the Army (USA) (05.12.2006).
Intellige FM 34-52 nce Interrogation Field Manual
34-52 (FM 34-52) (05.12.2006). Retrieved
09.28.1992, from:
https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm34-52.pdf. Use:
PD.
Friman (12.23.2005). Panopticon Presidio Modelo
(Cuba); Presidio Modelo 2. Retrieved 01.13.2017,
from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Presidio-
modelo2.JPG. Use: GNU FDL.