So… you think you’re a good person
A presentation at World IA Day Switzerland in in Zürich, Switzerland by Per Axbom
@axbom So… you think a e r ’ u o y World IA Day Zürich 2019 @axbom good person axbom.eu/wiad19
@axbom
Nest Secure from Google @axbom
I have lied @axbom
I have lied @axbom
I have lied I have lied to someone I care about @axbom
I have lied I have lied to someone I care about I have made design decisions with too little data @axbom
I have lied I have lied to someone I care about I have made design decisions with too little data I believe I will continue to lie @axbom
I have lied I have lied to someone I care about I have made design decisions with too little data I believe I will continue to lie I believe I will continue to design with too little data @axbom
I have lied I have lied to someone I care about I have made design decisions with too little data I believe I will continue to lie I believe I will continue to design with too little data I am a good liar @axbom
good liar a person who is skilled in lying @axbom
good liar a person who is skilled in lying good person a person who is skilled in being a person @axbom
We want so much… IDEO: We create positive impact through design. Smart design: We are a strategic design company that helps people live better and work smarter. Cooper: We work with companies to create products and services that people love. Frog: frog advances the human experience through design. Adobe: Changing the world through digital experiences @axbom
“Making the world a better place” If you can suggest that this is your calling, then chances are you are yourself in a pretty decent place. @axbom
Donating clothes @axbom https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/world/africa/east-africa-rwanda-used-clothing.html?
“Who was that person in that movie with the pyramids and the spaceships? That bald guy with the laugh? He was in that Christmas movie with the skyscraper. Oh and married to that woman from Ghost…” @axbom
“Please don’t chew with your mouth open.” @axbom
“Please don’t google at the dinner table.” @axbom
A human moment @axbom
A human moment The correct answer is not the goal. The shared experience is. @axbom
A human moment The correct answer is not the goal. The shared experience is. Design solves for the correct answer, but should also allow the choice of not pursuing the answer. @axbom
Pushing back Taking breaks from devices Closing accounts Turning off notifications VPN and Adblockers Not installing more apps Organising walkouts Smartphone-free zones Noise boxes @axbom
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@axbom https://www.fastcompany.com/90290703/this-is-the-first-truly-great-amazon-alexa-and-google-home-hack
@axbom Photo: Paul Clarke (CC-BY) https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/07/the-man-who-created-the-world-wide-web-has-some-regrets
What are we getting wrong? What is a human enabled by technology? Maybe more important: What is one without? @axbom
@axbom co m an te r pu m hu
@axbom ke t ar m co m an te r pu m hu te sta
@axbom ke t ar m m r an pu te co m hu te sta
m ar ke t @axbom r pu te co m hu m an sta te Accountability? Well-being? Ethics?
“Although these measures were crafted with the best of intentions, I am concerned that they inadvertently undermine our efforts to ensure individualized and equal justice,” he said, adding, “they may exacerbate unwarranted and unjust disparities that are already far too common in our criminal justice system and in our society.” @axbom Attorney General Eric Holder, 2014 https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing 20%
@axbom https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-jobs-automation-insight/amazon-scraps-secret-ai-recruiting-tool-that-showed-bias-against-women-idUSKCN1MK08G
Scraps = “You’re fired!” @axbom https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-jobs-automation-insight/amazon-scraps-secret-ai-recruiting-tool-that-showed-bias-against-women-idUSKCN1MK08G
“Recycling is NOT good for the world. It is bad for the environment, it is bad for our health, and it is bad for our economy. I’m not kidding. Recycling is not good for the environment. It is destructive to the earth and it is a major contributor to global warming. Recycling is not good for our health. It contributes to obesity and diseases like heart disease and cancer. Recycling is bad for our economy. It increases the cost of a product, and in turn, the price of everything that is made with that product. Recycling is not good for our nation. We pay a tremendous price for the privilege of having the world’s most advanced and efficient recycling system. Recycling is a huge, colossal waste of time, energy, money, and resources.” @axbom
This person does not exist @axbom thispersondoesnotexist.com
When norms change 1919 Women received the right to vote. Voted first time 1921. @axbom 1945 People in care by poorhouses received the right to vote. 1989 The practice of removing adult rights from people with disabilities ended. Universal suffrage in Sweden. (The right to vote, for all adult citizens)
How will algorithms change when human norms change? Or will they force a slowing of progress? @axbom
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Becoming less human Not being invited Not being able to pay Not being able to apply for a job @axbom
As you “empowered” me, did you also take away my other choices? @axbom r pu te co m an m hu Do I need to be in the intersection to take part in life?
Sorry, we’re closed. @axbom
Could human-centric design be making some people less human? @axbom
also, making people less human is profitable profit buyer uses reptilian brain @axbom
physical h s p i h s n o i t a l e r l a n ealth o s r pe h t l a e h l a t n e m The material we are working with is hazardous. How are we managing this in our work? trust political levera ge e c n e i l i s e fact r @axbom y t i r g e t n i d n a y c a priv decision -making
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City points in Cascais, Portugal @axbom
City points in Cascais, Portugal @axbom
City points in Cascais, Portugal @axbom
good person? External factors are determining what constitutes a good choice. The human is given less ability to consider which choice is best for them. @axbom
Impact 3rd 2nd 1st @axbom
Impact s d e e d e m So d e u l a v e r a n a h t e r o m others o d e l p o e P s d e e d d o go 1st @axbom t ’ n o w e l Peop do good t u o h t i w s deed points Crime s k r o w t e n h t i w e l p Peo s t n i o p e r mo d e u l a v e r a higher 3rd 2nd g n i t t e g s t Pe hurt
@axbom https://gizmodo.com/predictim-claims-its-ai-can-flag-risky-babysitters-so-1830913997
@axbom https://www.wired.com/story/why-netflix-features-black-actors-promos-to-black-users/
Discover @axbom Define Develop Deliver
Discover Define Develop Deliver Who is excluded when the lines converge? @axbom
Design is often a source of exclusion @axbom
When accessibility is a side project, you are always designing for exclusion. @axbom
y t i l i b i s n o sp e r g n i m u s as @axbom
Did the pilot get a good night’s sleep? @axbom
Did the designer get a good night’s sleep? @axbom
Why we make bad choices Self-awareness Time Resilience Understanding Health @axbom
Spheres of influence I control I can influence @axbom Everything else
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The con in consent @axbom
The con in consent 76 work days to read all privacy policies you’re exposed to during a year @axbom https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/03/reading-the-privacy-policies-you-encounter-in-a-year-would-take-76-work-days/253851/
Who on the team has the biggest insight into the impact of the design on human beings? @axbom
Who on the team has the biggest insight into the impact of the design on human beings? @axbom
a defining moment… @axbom
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the tools @axbom
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@axbom mapfight.appspot.com
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The Authagraph map projection centered on Europe Hajime Narukawa worked for 6 years on this map, and won the 2016 Good Design Awards - Grand Award. @axbom https://curiosity.com/topics/the-authagraph-is-the-worlds-most-accurate-map-curiosity/
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Road space taken by 60 people on a bus @axbom on bicycles in cars
Road space taken by 60 people fossil-fuel cars @axbom electric cars autonomous cars
We can not keep using the same maps and expect negative impact to reveal itself. @axbom
The Inclusive Panda @axbom axbom.eu/panda
The Inclusive Panda @axbom axbom.eu/panda (non-participants) excluded unwanted participants at risk included at risk harmed by us
The Inclusive Panda axbom.eu/panda (non-participants) excluded unwanted participants at risk included at risk harmed by us Use it to consider the effects on more people than your “target group”. @axbom
Impact mapping What? How harmful? How much do we contribute? How likely? How burdened? @axbom Who?
Impact mapping What? Who? n o i t a How harmful? z i n e a s g i r t i o r r o i u r o p y d p l n e a , h t How much do we o c t a t p i . e m i s g contribute? U o d l n k a c a st b r e e d h t n u How likely? How burdened? @axbom
Friction Force considered decisions Educate before wider use Match expectations Avoid conflicts Give relevant challenges Improve service quality @axbom
Friction Force considered decisions Educate before use Match expectations Avoid conflicts Give relevant challenges Improve service quality Use it to help people think before they act @axbom
? w o n t a h w @axbom
• • • • Design excludes • People are not happy and are pushing back. @axbom Design removes abilities Design is often short-term and manipulative Organizations are not realising the harm until very late in the game
people as cattle • • • The not-so-profitable are excluded and put aside, • as they are herded around specific paths to provide the highest value for the farmer… @axbom while the rest are branded with tracking devices. A points system separates the good ones from the bad ones,
As designers proclaiming human insight and a willingness to improve people’s lives… @axbom
As designers proclaiming human insight and a willingness to improve people’s lives… we can do better. @axbom
Always assume there is harm happening that you can not yet see. Take actions to find and manage it. @axbom
Always assume there is harm happening that you can not yet see. Take actions to find and manage it. Believe people when they say they are being hurt. @axbom
less human human less human Ethical design is not about stopping technical innovation. It’s about influencing its direction. (with better maps and indicators) @axbom
less human human less human Remember: Technology is not harmful in itself. Technology is designed. @axbom
“ Per, I just realised: Now I can go to work with a new goal in mind. It’s not to make as many people as possible buy as much as possible. It’s helping people make the choice that is best for them. @axbom
“ Per, I just realised: Now I can go to work with a new goal in mind. It’s not to make as many people as possible buy as much as possible. It’s helping people make the choice that is best for them. Now I’m actually looking forward to it! @axbom
In the end, the question isn’t whether or not you are a good person. It’s not about you. The question is whether you are supporting, or limiting, other people in making decisions that allow them to be a good person. @axbom
In the end, the question isn’t whether or not you are a good person. It’s not about you. The question is whether you are supporting, or limiting, other people in making decisions that allow them to be a good person. Before you try to make the world a better place. @axbom
an co m pu te r hu m Let’s make people @axbom
an co m pu te r hu m Let’s make people human again. @axbom
Thank you. Slides and links are on axbom.eu/wiad19 @axbom
We have never been better at increasing efficiency and rushing to keep pace with run-away technical developments. But although we may be better at doing things the right way, how do we ensure that we are making the right things? How do we know what harm our designs contribute to? The demand for managing ethical queries, before we let technology make decisions for us, often clashes with the misconception that we are always one step behind technical advances.
Marginalized people are getting hurt because of the decisions we make.
In his talk Per Axbom explains why we as humans make bad decisions, how empathy can sometimes be our enemy, and guides us through methods and practical tools for bringing moral judgment into our decision processes. By taking into account positive and negative impact we can better control not only efficiency but also goal fulfilment. All the while, hopefully, staying on the right side of history.
Video
Resources
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
