1. Design Refusal
as
Public Interest Technology
Erhardt Graeff / Shreya Chowdhary
Olin College of Engineering
A Better Tech // October 2021

2. design refusal

4. Michael DeForge for The New York Times
Logic Magazine / Science for the People

6. Ask Yourself
What are my values? What are my red lines?
How do I define my professional responsibility? Where
should my responsibility start? Where should it end?

7. With Projects, Ask...
Are we open to the possibility that the best approach is to
not design anything at all?
What is the challenge we are trying to address?
Who had a meaningful say in defining that challenge?
Who didn't have a say but should have? What are their
values? Who has too much of a say over how we frame
this? What are their values?

8. With Projects, Ask
What systems of help or harm will this design be a part of?
How do they impact the potential outcomes of this
technology?
What are the worst case scenarios after deployment?
Do these actually cover the worst case scenarios for all
stakeholders? Whose worst case scenarios are you
okay with the possibility of? Would they agree?

9. Design Refusal
as
Public Interest Technology
Erhardt Graeff
egraeff@olin.edu
@erhardt
Shreya Chowdhary
schowdhary@olin.edu
@shreyasunshine6