Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It
Tags: #design #technology #ethics #social responsibility #activism #culture
Authors: Mike Monteiro
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Overview
This book is a wake-up call for designers. We fucked up. We designed a world fueled by outrage, addicted to social media, drowning in data breaches, and run by algorithms that prioritize profit over people. And while the boy kings of Silicon Valley may have given the orders, they couldn’t have done it without us. We are the ones who designed the tools they use to manipulate, exploit, and divide. We are the ones who need to fix it. This book isn’t about getting you a job at a non-profit; it’s about how to do the right thing in a system designed to make doing the wrong thing easy. You are a gatekeeper. You’ve been hired for your judgment. You are responsible for what you put into the world. This book will teach you how to use your power for good. You’ll learn how to make ethical decisions, design persuasive arguments, build diverse teams, and find your community of fellow designers who are also fighting for a better future. You’ll also learn how to say “no” and walk away when necessary, even when it means throwing your body on the gears to stop the machine. We need to care more about the people using the products we design than we care about the people who sign our paychecks. There’s a lot of work to be done. Are you in?
Book Outline
1. The Ethics of Design
Just as doctors have a Hippocratic oath, designers also need a code of ethics to guide their work and hold them accountable for the consequences. A lack of ethical framework has contributed to a tech landscape full of harassment, abuse, and manipulation, highlighting the urgent need for a code like the one proposed in this book.
Key concept: DO NO HARM. The Hippocratic oath is one of the oldest known ethical codes in the world… Designers have neither a code, nor a license to practice.
2. How Designers Destroyed the World
Designers share a responsibility for the state of the world because they are the ones who shape it through their creations. The problems we face, from social media’s detrimental effects to data privacy violations, are a direct result of how these systems were designed, urging designers to acknowledge their role and impact.
Key concept: The world isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as it was designed to work. And we’re the ones who designed it.
2. Moving Fast and Breaking Things
The “move fast and break things” mentality, combined with the relentless pursuit of growth and scale, has led to unforeseen and often devastating consequences. Designers must prioritize ethical considerations over blind pursuit of speed and scale, especially when working with systems that impact millions.
Key concept: “We connect people. That’s why all the work we do in growth is justified… Maybe it costs someone a life by exposing someone to bullies… Maybe someone dies in a terrorist attack coordinated on our tools.”
2. Ayn Rand Was a Dick
Designers are gatekeepers who hold significant power in shaping the tools and experiences people use. They have a responsibility to advocate for the users, considering the potential impact of their work and saying “no” to unethical demands.
Key concept: There are professions more harmful than industrial design, but only a very few of them.
2. All the White Boys in the Room
Blindly following orders without questioning the ethical implications is not acceptable. Designers must be willing to challenge the status quo, speak truth to power, and even risk their jobs to uphold their ethical responsibilities. Ignoring ethical concerns because “someone else will do it” is a lazy and harmful excuse.
Key concept: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”
3. What We Can Do to Fix It
Diversity and inclusion in design teams are crucial for creating products and services that cater to a wide range of users. Design schools must do a better job of teaching students the social, political, and ethical aspects of design, and move away from promoting a “creative unicorn” mindset that ignores the real-world impact of design.
Key concept: We need to celebrate the differences.
4. Choosing Where to Work
Designers must integrate ethical practices into their everyday work, rather than treating them as an afterthought or “offsetting” bad design decisions with charitable work. Nonprofits need support, but the greatest impact can be made by ensuring that the core work being done is ethically sound.
Key concept: Ethics cannot be a side hustle.
4. How to Set Up for Success
Diverse design teams are essential because they bring a wider range of perspectives and experiences to the table, helping to mitigate blind spots and identify potential problems before they reach the users. Building products with a singular viewpoint, especially when that viewpoint belongs to a privileged group, leads to exclusion and harm.
Key concept: The people affected by our actions are always more important than our intent.
4. Oh, The Monsters We’ll Kill
The work that designers do has a profound impact on people’s mental health. The pursuit of engagement and profit at all costs has led to addictive platforms that exploit people’s vulnerabilities and amplify outrage, fear, and anxiety, causing real harm to individuals and society.
Key concept: “Social media has been described as more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol, and is now so entrenched in the lives of young people that it is no longer possible to ignore it when talking about young people’s mental health issues.”
5. You Can’t Go It Alone
Designers have a responsibility to speak truth to power, advocate for users, and challenge unethical practices within their organizations. Sometimes this means quitting a job or even actively sabotaging harmful projects. Collective action, such as organized protests or strikes, can be a powerful tool for effecting change, as demonstrated by the Google walkout.
Key concept: There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part! You can’t even passively take part!
6. The Case for Community
Strong professional organizations are crucial for providing designers with support, guidance, and resources to navigate the ethical complexities of their work. A design union would empower designers to set industry standards, resolve disputes, advocate for fair wages and benefits, and offer legal representation when needed.
Key concept: “We need a union.”
7. The Case for Professional Organizations
Designers should be held accountable for their actions, just like professionals in other fields that have the potential to cause harm. Licensing and regulation, while not a perfect solution, can help to establish ethical standards and ensure that designers are qualified to handle the complex responsibilities of their craft. The design profession needs to evolve and mature to address the increasingly dangerous impact its work has on society.
Key concept: Cooperation and regret is noted, but it doesn’t excuse the conduct.
Essential Questions
1. How does design shape our world, and what are the consequences of unethical design?
Design shapes our world, both physically and digitally. From the products we use to the systems we interact with, design decisions have real-world consequences. Unethical design can lead to manipulation, discrimination, harm, and even death. The book provides numerous examples of how “move fast and break things” mentality and the pursuit of profit have led to disastrous outcomes.
2. What is the ethical responsibility of designers, and how can they use their power for good?
Designers have a responsibility to use their skills to create a better world, advocating for users, considering the ethical implications of their work, and pushing back against harmful practices. This means speaking truth to power, building diverse and inclusive teams, and engaging in collective action to hold companies accountable for their actions.
3. How can design education be improved to better prepare students for the ethical challenges of the profession?
Design education often fails to adequately prepare students for the ethical challenges they’ll face in their careers. The emphasis on aesthetics and personal expression needs to be balanced with a focus on social responsibility, professional ethics, and the real-world impact of design decisions. Design schools should also do a better job of providing students with the skills and resources to navigate the complexities of the modern tech industry.
4. What is the role of community and collective action in creating a more ethical design profession?
Designers need to move beyond individual action and engage in collective organizing to create a stronger and more ethical design community. A design union would empower designers to set industry standards, advocate for fair working conditions, and provide legal representation for those facing ethical dilemmas at work. By working together, designers can have a greater impact in shaping a more just and equitable world.
5. What is the role of licensing and regulation in creating a more ethical design profession?
Licensing and regulation, while not without its challenges, can be a necessary tool for ensuring that designers are qualified to handle the ethical complexities of their work. The book argues that licensing can create accountability and help prevent harmful design practices, drawing parallels to other professions like medicine and law that have the potential to cause harm.
Key Takeaways
1. Design has consequences: Impact over form
Design doesn’t exist in a vacuum; its real-world impact matters more than its aesthetic qualities or technical ingenuity. Designers must move beyond pixel-pushing and consider the social, political, and ethical consequences of their creations. This means anticipating potential misuses and designing to mitigate harm.
Practical Application:
When designing a facial recognition system, for example, an AI engineer should consider not just its accuracy, but also its potential for misuse in surveillance, racial profiling, or other harmful applications. They should work to build in safeguards and advocate for its responsible implementation.
2. Diversity is essential for ethical design
Homogenous teams create products that reflect their limited experiences, neglecting the needs of a diverse user base. Building inclusive teams with people from different backgrounds, genders, and lived experiences is essential for creating products that work for everyone and mitigating bias.
Practical Application:
In AI, this could involve advocating for diverse datasets and ensuring that algorithms are tested for bias. It could also mean pushing back against projects that perpetuate existing inequalities or fail to consider the needs of marginalized communities.
3. Be an active advocate for ethical design
Waiting for someone else to take responsibility for ethical considerations is a recipe for disaster. Designers are the experts in how systems are used and must proactively engage in shaping the ethical framework of their work. This means speaking up, asking tough questions, and advocating for users’ needs.
Practical Application:
An AI engineer working on a recommendation algorithm for a social media platform should actively participate in discussions about how to mitigate its potential for spreading misinformation or creating filter bubbles. They should advocate for transparency and user control over the algorithm’s parameters.
4. Rethink the metrics of success: Impact over profit
The metrics we use to define success often determine the ethical choices we make. When profit is the primary driver, ethical considerations become secondary. Designers should advocate for metrics that measure the social impact of their work and prioritize user well-being over short-term gains.
Practical Application:
Instead of focusing solely on optimizing click-through rates, an AI product engineer should consider how to measure the algorithm’s impact on user well-being, information quality, and social cohesion. They should prioritize metrics that reflect the long-term health of the platform and its users over short-term gains.
5. Know when to walk away: Your labor is your power
In some cases, the only ethical choice is to walk away. When the very foundation of a project is unethical, no amount of “fixing” can make it right. Designers have a responsibility to refuse to participate in projects that violate their ethical principles, even if it means sacrificing personal gain.
Practical Application:
If an AI product engineer is asked to work on a project that they believe is harmful, such as an autonomous weapon system, they should refuse to participate, even if it means losing their job. They should also consider joining or supporting organizations that are working to ban such technologies.
Suggested Deep Dive
Chapter: All the White Boys in the Room
This chapter directly addresses the lack of diversity in tech and its impact on the products we design. As an AI product engineer, you need to be aware of the inherent biases that can creep into your work if you are not actively seeking diverse perspectives and experiences.
Memorable Quotes
DO NO HARM.. 17
The Hippocratic oath is one of the oldest known ethical codes in the world… Designers have neither a code, nor a license to practice.
WE ARE GATEKEEPERS. 30
The world isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as it was designed to work. And we’re the ones who designed it.
SO WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE US?. 46
There is no such thing as neutral software. We all bring our own biases to the things we design—our own ethical code, and our own garbage.
MY FIRST DESIGN JOB. 75
Until you let everyone in the room, until you give everyone a chance, you do not get to say you’ve earned anything in this business. At least not fairly.
HUMILITY IS EXPENSIVE. 140
To design is to influence.
Comparative Analysis
“Ruined by Design” stands out for its direct and confrontational tone, a stark contrast to the often-sanitized language of other design ethics books. While works like “Design for the Real World” by Victor Papanek address similar themes of social responsibility in design, Monteiro’s book is a direct response to the specific ethical failings of the modern tech industry. He explicitly calls out companies like Facebook and Twitter for their role in amplifying hate speech, spreading disinformation, and exploiting user data, echoing concerns raised by authors like Shoshana Zuboff in “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism”. Monteiro’s emphasis on collective action, particularly the need for a design union, further differentiates his work, advocating for a more organized approach to tackling ethical issues than typically seen in the field.
Reflection
“Ruined by Design” is a crucial read for anyone working in tech, particularly those involved in AI. Monteiro’s passionate call to action forces us to confront the uncomfortable truth that our industry, while boasting about innovation and progress, has also created tools that are actively harming people. While some may find his tone abrasive or his arguments simplistic, the underlying message is undeniable: we have a responsibility to do better. However, it’s important to acknowledge that Monteiro’s perspective is rooted in his experiences as a UX designer, and his solutions, while thought-provoking, may not fully address the complexities of AI development. For instance, while diversity in design teams is crucial, it doesn’t guarantee ethical AI. We also need rigorous ethical frameworks, robust testing protocols, and mechanisms for accountability beyond individual action. The book’s strength lies in its ability to provoke critical self-reflection and inspire collective action within the design community. It’s a starting point for a much-needed conversation about how to design a better future, a future where technology empowers rather than exploits, connects rather than divides, and prioritizes human well-being over profit.
Flashcards
Who are designers responsible for?
Designers are responsible for the effects of their work and how it impacts people.
Provide an example of a design where form should not be valued over impact.
A broken gun is better designed than a working gun.
How do people use our interfaces?
People don’t look at our interfaces to appreciate them, they use them to get things done in their lives.
What makes a design solution good?
A design solution should be intentional and consider the context of the problem and the constraints of the solution.
What makes a bad designer?
Someone who doesn’t ask ‘why’ or say ‘no’.
What key questions should designers ask when evaluating the ethics of a project?
Consider who is benefiting from the work, who is being excluded from the process, and who might be harmed by the outcome.
Why is saying ‘If I don’t do it, someone else will’ a bad excuse?
Because you’re handing off the responsibility for making ethical decisions to someone else.
What is the veil of ignorance?
It’s a way to determine whether something you are designing is just. You imagine your relationship to the design is determined after you’ve designed it.
How can designers avoid edge cases in their designs?
Designing with diverse teams to ensure multiple points of view are considered.
Why is “I was just following orders” a bad excuse for unethical design?
It assumes the intent of the designer is all that matters and allows them to abdicate responsibility for how their work is used.