2017 LibTech Conference

The social critic Paul Goodman once wrote that "technology is a branch of moral philosophy, not of science." His point was that decisions on how to shape the world through technology were inherently moral choices, concerned with how we ought to live. Our library UX work is no different. Our user research methods are moral choices that affect our users; The data we collect not only helps us, it is likely being stockpiled by advertisers to better understand our users, too. Our design decisions also have ethical implications; By working to change our users' behavior, we prioritize our own version of what is 'right.' We've been so focused on solving problems of efficiency and aesthetics that we've lost sight of our moral obligations as designers and content creators.

In this talk, I will explore the ethics of UX design and offer guidelines and techniques (rather than pro- or prescriptions) for making the right--not just the easy or flashy--choices for your users and your library.