Ethics of IA Donna Maurer – Maadmob Interaction Design What does it take to be an ethical designer?

About me Freelance information architect/interaction designer I design structures & interfaces for complex informational & interactive systems 8+ years professional experience, as an innie, an outie & a freelancer Designed business applications, websites, intranets Practice, teach, mentor and write about IA and IxD Board member for IAI and WIPA Writing a book about card sorting - due sometime…

Freelance information architect/interaction designer

I design structures & interfaces for complex informational & interactive systems

8+ years professional experience, as an innie, an outie & a freelancer

Designed business applications, websites, intranets

Practice, teach, mentor and write about IA and IxD

Board member for IAI and WIPA

Writing a book about card sorting - due sometime…

About this talk

About this talk

About ethics… Moral philosophy The study of values and customs of a person or group In our context Making ethical design decisions Professional practice – how we work together Professional practice – how our actions affect our profession I’m not representing the position of any group I’m associated with

Moral philosophy

The study of values and customs of a person or group

In our context

Making ethical design decisions

Professional practice – how we work together

Professional practice – how our actions affect our profession

I’m not representing the position of any group I’m associated with

I will…

I will…truly design for people

… cause no harm

… design for true inclusivity

I will…

… make informed decisions

… understand my decisions

… consider all consequences

Analyst/Programmer Architect Business Analyst Computer Operators Consultant/Functional Consultant Database Development & Admin Engineer - Hardware Engineer - Network Engineer - Software Help Desk/Support Internet/Multimedia Design Internet/Multimedia Development Management Networks & Systems Other Product Management Project Management QA/Testers Sales - Pre & Post Security Team Leaders Technical Writers Telecommunications Trainers

… consider all consequences Personas… Jennifer is a sales rep for an upmarket kitchenware manufacturer in Sydney. She spends her days driving to clients' retail stores to check their stock and place orders for them. The office gives Jennifer the schedule of customers to visit each day. As customers have different timetables for visits, the schedule is never the same. Her first job of the day, and the most frustrating, is sorting out the most efficient way to get to the clients. She is familiar with the customer's locations as she visits them frequently, but not as familiar with the best route between them. Sitting in traffic all day is not Jennifer’s idea of fun. She hates being late to a scheduled customer, and hates having to rush and arrive flustered. A friend told her about a new in-car navigation computers. She said that some let you put in all your locations and get a map of the best way to get there, then talk you through the directions. They can also get around traffic jams. Jennifer is not sure about getting one – it is already hard enough to drive around Sydney without a computer babbling at you. She also worries that she won't be able to use it. She can’t even set the clock on the video! How will she set all the locations and know that she’s done everything right?

Personas…

Jennifer is a sales rep for an upmarket kitchenware manufacturer in Sydney. She spends her days driving to clients' retail stores to check their stock and place orders for them. The office gives Jennifer the schedule of customers to visit each day. As customers have different timetables for visits, the schedule is never the same. Her first job of the day, and the most frustrating, is sorting out the most efficient way to get to the clients. She is familiar with the customer's locations as she visits them frequently, but not as familiar with the best route between them. Sitting in traffic all day is not Jennifer’s idea of fun. She hates being late to a scheduled customer, and hates having to rush and arrive flustered. A friend told her about a new in-car navigation computers. She said that some let you put in all your locations and get a map of the best way to get there, then talk you through the directions. They can also get around traffic jams. Jennifer is not sure about getting one – it is already hard enough to drive around Sydney without a computer babbling at you. She also worries that she won't be able to use it. She can’t even set the clock on the video! How will she set all the locations and know that she’s done everything right?

… consider all consequences Scenarios … Jennifer gets the list of client calls by email at home before she leaves. She goes out to her car, and enters the addresses of all the places she has to visit today. She notes that one of them must be done at 11am and one at 2.30pm and asks for her route to be shown. She looks at the sequence the computer has calculated. It looks good, but there is one client she would like to see in the morning instead of the afternoon. She moves this, recalculates her route and gets going. For the first client, she doesn’t need directions. She turns it on after the first client and hears the directions as she drives. It is quite clear but she occasionally looks at the screen when there is too much noise. The system shows her the distances she needs to travel, so she can plan when to get petrol. She has time after her 2.30 client, so shows the nearest petrol station and heads there, then shows the nearest ATM to grab some cash (the route recalculates for her). This system is turning out to be much more useful than she thought. It is saving her time and petrol and making her day much less frazzled.

Scenarios …

Jennifer gets the list of client calls by email at home before she leaves. She goes out to her car, and enters the addresses of all the places she has to visit today. She notes that one of them must be done at 11am and one at 2.30pm and asks for her route to be shown.

She looks at the sequence the computer has calculated. It looks good, but there is one client she would like to see in the morning instead of the afternoon. She moves this, recalculates her route and gets going.

For the first client, she doesn’t need directions. She turns it on after the first client and hears the directions as she drives. It is quite clear but she occasionally looks at the screen when there is too much noise.

The system shows her the distances she needs to travel, so she can plan when to get petrol. She has time after her 2.30 client, so shows the nearest petrol station and heads there, then shows the nearest ATM to grab some cash (the route recalculates for her).

This system is turning out to be much more useful than she thought. It is saving her time and petrol and making her day much less frazzled.

… communicate effectively with decision makers

I will…

… respect my team mates This slide intentionally left blank

This slide intentionally left blank

… do my best

I will…

… walk the talk “ Yes, they’re just the shit-kickers, but you still need to talk to them” Overheard from a usability consultant

“ Yes, they’re just the shit-kickers, but you still need to talk to them”

Overheard from a usability consultant

… provide value

Personal moral guidelines

… personal moral guidelines

… personal moral guidelines

“ We’ve evolved from a focus on features to focus on ease of use and now will have the opportunity to focus on quality of life” “ Good design is at the heart of quality of life. Designers today have an opportunity to design at a time when mass consciousness will really value great design” Linda Stone, IDEA Conference

“ We’ve evolved from a focus on features to focus on ease of use and now will have the opportunity to focus on quality of life”

“ Good design is at the heart of quality of life. Designers today have an opportunity to design at a time when mass consciousness will really value great design”

Linda Stone, IDEA Conference

Questions & thanks http://maadmob.net/ 0409-778-693 [email_address]

http://maadmob.net/

0409-778-693

[email_address]