1.
The Ethics of IA
Seven deadly sins that keep us from
building a better world
Eric Reiss
@elreiss
WIAD 2018
February 24, 2018
Munich, Germany

2.
What are “ethics”?
What are “morals”?

3.
“Morals” “Ethics”
“The beliefs I
have accepted.”
“How I practice
these beliefs.”

4.
“Thou shalt not kill.”

5.
Internal External

6.
Johann and his iPhone

7.
Johann and the lost letter

8.
Johann, Albert, Clara

9.
Johann, Albert, Clara
(and Leo)

10.
Clara

11.
Clara
1983 - 2018

12.
“Do no evil”
“Make money”

13.
“Make money”
“Do no evil”

14.
Internal External

15.
• Privacy
• Security
• Intellectual property rights
plus
• Diversity
• Harassment
Key ethical issues today

16.
• Is this right?
• Is this respectful?
• Is this responsible?
• Is this fair?
• Is this legal?
Questions we need to ask

17.
Research
Lies, damned lies, and statistics

18.
• Asking “loaded” questions
• Manipulating the results
• Hiding the results
• Not actually doing the research
Four problems

19.
• Asking “loaded” questions
• Manipulating the results
• Hiding the results
• Not actually doing the research
Four problems

20.
1. Was the product information sufficient and
relevant?
6/10
2. Was the transaction cost of the products
appropriate?
1/10
3. Were you satisfied with the website
experience?
5/10
Interpreting interrelated questions

21.
• Asking “loaded” questions
• Manipulating the results
• Hiding the results
• Not actually doing the research
Four problems

22.
• Asking “loaded” questions
• Manipulating the results
• Hiding the results
• Not actually doing the research
Four problems

23.
• Asking “loaded” questions
• Manipulating the results
• Hiding the results
• Not actually doing the research
Four problems

24.
District heating plants in Poland

25.
“Return on Investment is based on historic
data. It is a backward-looking metric that
yields no insights into how to improve
business results in the future.”
www.maxi-pedia.com

26.
• Examine the research sources
• Ask relevant follow-up questions
• Don’t trust client research. Verify it.
• Watch out for personal or political agendas
• Call bullshit when you see it
What you can do

27.
Hiding information
You can’t see or sue something invisible

28.
The Apple Terms and Conditions

29.
• If you are asked to hide information:
– Ask yourself if this is a valid request
– Make sure whatever you do is in the user’s interest
• If someone unexpectedly complicates your
wireframes and/or sitemap:
– Find out if there is a hidden agenda
– If there is, take an ethical stand to do what’s right
What you can do

30.
Faking information
Hits and bruises

31.
• Fake testimonials
• Fake photos
• Misleading metadata
• Fake referral sites
• Clueless social-media managers
What to look out for

32.
Products
Green Blue Red
Specifications Specifications Specifications
Applications Applications
References
Testimonials
Applications
References
Testimonials
References
Testimonials

33.
Danske Bank

34.
• Ask yourself if the content is honest
• Ask yourself if this is really in the user’s best
interests
• Ask yourself if this is in the business’s best
interests
• Don’t force content providers to publish
information they cannot provide
• Call bullshit when you see it!
What you can do

35.
Addiction
Digital drugs

36.
• Bait-and-switch techniques
– Online casinos
• Peer pressure techniques
– Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook
• Ludomania disguised as entertainment
What to look out for

37.
“100 free spins…”

38.
• There really is only one question you need to
ask yourself:
– Would I want my children to use this site or app?
What you can do

39.
Dark patterns
Asterisks and after-risks

40.
• Sites that trick you to:
– Opt in to something you do not want
– Buy something you do not want
• Sites that require information they are not
entitled to:
– Telephone number
– Personal details (e.g. gender)
What to look out for

41.
https://darkpatterns.org/

42.
• People do not read very carefully
• People will often accept that they have been
tricked because it takes too long to put things
right again
Some sad facts

43.
• Bait-and-switch
• Disguised ads
• Forced continuity
• Friend spam
• Hidden costs
• Misdirection
• Price comparison prevention
• Private Zuckering
• Roach motel
• Sneak into basket
• Trick questions
The dark patterns

44.
Frequently bought together…

45.
Scarcity
Social validation
Fear of loss

46.
• Make sure the behaviour of your wireframes is
not misleading people
• Do not trick or cheat people
• Call bullshit!
What you can do

47.
Teamwork
Design thinking or design trauma?

48.
• Designs that are “flavour of the month”
– WordPress
– Flat design
• Colleagues who do not meet their obligations
• Clients and employers who are asking you to
bend your personal code of ethics
What to look out for

49.
The Czech brothel project

50.
• If you are a manager, give your team members
and opportunity to opt out
• If you are a team member, let your manager
know if the projects makes you uncomfortable
• Respect any NDAs you have signed
• If you make a promise, keep it!
What you can do

51.
UX theatre
Brainstorming and bullshit

52.
https://twitter.com/i/moments/955234060
951048192

53.
• So-called UX projects where no one has
actually ever talked to a user
• Fake personas
• Projects where assumptions are given the
same weight as actual research
• Team members who exhibit strong cognitive
bias
• Civil servants and mediocre managers who
just want an impressive report, but do not
actually want to improve UX
What to look out for

54.
• Validate your assumptions
• Test your prototypes, apps, and existing sites
with real users
• Mine the existing data for genuine insights
What you can do

55.
b
Offensive AI
Tay, Siri, Alexa, and Bixby

56.
• Validate your assumptions
• Test your prototypes, apps, and existing sites
with real users
• Mine the existing data for genuine insights
What you can do

57.
Clara
1983 - 2018

58.
• Validate your assumptions
• Test your prototypes, apps, and existing sites
with real users
• Mine the existing data for genuine insights
• Check for cultural bias
– Racist, religious, and sexist discrimination
• Train your AI with unbiased data
• Monitor your AI bot regularly
What you can do

59.
The Copenhagen Letter
Taking a moral stand

60.
https://copenhagenletter.org/

61.
Bonus material #1

62.
We didn’t invent this discipline
Give credit where credit is due

63.
50-year-old wearable

64.
150-year-old infographic

65.
170-year-old sitemap

66.
220-year-old SEO project

67.
250-year-old knowledge map

68.
300-year-old taxonomy

69.
A 400-year-old content inventory

70.
650-year-old personas

71.
5000-year-old wireframe

72.
15000-year-old storyboard

73.
Gestural interfaces - 1935

74.
Bonus material #2

75.
in·no·va·tion
noun
1 : the introduction of something new
2 : a new idea, method, or device

76.
To differentiate your product/service
To be “original”
To satisfy your ego
Three bad reasons to innovate

77.
Experiment

78.
Invention

79.
Invention

80.
Innovation
15 April 1912

81.
RMS Carpathia

82.
Invention
Innovation Lifecycle
Innovation
Best practice
Habit
Innovation
Best practice
Fashion
Old-fashioned
Time
Progress

83.
Lesson: Invention is not innovation

84.
Titanic
Why did it sink?
“It hit an iceberg.”

85.
1. The ship was sailing quite fast
2. The iceberg was very far to the south
3. An ice warning was not relayed to the Captain
4. The calm sea showed no wake from the berg
5. The rudder was too small to turn the ship
6. The rivets became brittle in cold water
7. The watertight bulkheads were not tall enough
8. If the Titanic had hit the berg head on it might
have survived the impact
The Titanic disaster – contributing factors

86.
Lesson: Accidents can never be
attributed to a single cause.

87.
Eastland

88.
Lesson: Don’t make judgements
based on unique incidents.

89.
• You are unique!
• You can change the world!
Some of you will…and thank goodness for that!
A few parting words

90.
Danke!

91.
The FatDUX Group ApS
Strandøre 15
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Office: (+45) 39 29 07 07
Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44
Twitter: @elreiss
er@fatdux.com
www.fatdux.com
Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at: