It is essential to understand that whatever we design is not neutral. Design is, in reality, a fundamentally ethical endeavor. That is why I feel designers should learn about ethics to incorporate it into their design work. People’s behavior and lives are greatly influenced by design. As designers, we are trained to solve problems and improve people’s lives, but we rarely contemplate what that entails.

What is ethical design ?

Ethical design is the process of creating outstanding products while keeping your morals and beliefs, as well as the ideals of your product and business, in mind. What you develop, whether it’s a website, mobile app, marketing campaign, or product, has an impact on real people, and those impacts can cause ripples.

As designers, we have a responsibility to approach our work ethically and with the best interests of the user in mind. Because the products we create will be a part of the users’ lives, they should not:

• Consume or manipulate the user

• Take undue advantage of the user

• Encourage addictive behaviors

• Encourage unhealthy interactions between the user and product

Instead, the products we build should provide users with the opportunity to choose the actions they wish to take when using the product. Remember that while apps should engage users, they should also be transparent about their objectives and goals.

The transition to a more ethical future has begun. Change does not happen efficiently until it is incorporated into the core of the business architecture. But that doesn’t imply we can’t improve the current situation. We can accomplish this by gradual adjustment, one step at a time. Working from a human-centered perspective, asking why, and employing best practices for ethical design. That is our responsibility as those who create products that are so firmly embedded in people’s lives. What we do affects and influences people’s lives, for better or worse.

Invest in developing skills such as moral sensitivity, moral creativity, and moral advocacy if you wish to connect with the ethical dimension of your projects. This will enable you to comprehend and engage with ethics in each design project. Mastering your ethical skills will assist you in developing as an ethical designer.

Ethical issues frequently arise during the planning and creation of the early wireframes, and specific ethical issues continue to emerge during the product design stage. To avoid unfavorable public perception and trust issues in the future, it is best to conduct ourselves responsibly. While working, I occasionally find myself asking ethical questions about micro-actions and processes like registration, permission requests, monetization, and so on.

I recommend planning ahead of time where the user will be given freedom of choice and where decisions will be made for him/her to provide the greatest experience possible while respecting their time. In these circumstances, we would prefer to point to the “right” action to avoid errors and misunderstandings and to keep things reversible. There are no defined norms or recommendations in the field of ethics in UI/UX design. Choices are judged by actions: how users view your product and how much trust they eventually place in it.

Consider the product’s characteristics and message. Choose the level of freedom you want to offer within these constraints. Based on research, experiments, and your personal experience as users, make these decisions and don’t be hesitant to make modifications as needed. As a creator and a user, you should attempt to comprehend the product you are planning.

A good tip that I can give is to be as welcoming to your users as possible. Keep their best interests in mind, and you will reap the benefits. Allow people to enjoy trusting you while feeling at ease with the product, whether it is free or expensive, simple or sophisticated.

To improve your design presentation skills consider reading my article; FINESSING UI/UX DESIGN PRESENTATIONS