Design Pattern Presentation
Objective
Designing problematic experiences doesn’t just happen by accident; specific patterns and feature can increase your chances of creating an interface that undermines users’ welfare, freedom, virtue, and relationships. Throughout the quarter, we will survey a variety of concrete UX patterns; it will be up to you to assess whether they are likely to lead to exploitative designs.
Description
You (along with up to 2 teammates) will give a 15-minute presentation describing a specific design pattern. You may choose your own teammates; patterns will be assigned randomly to groups. You will be given a resource describing the pattern and giving design examples (which may or may not come from digital interfaces). Your job is to learn about the pattern, reflect on its potential to incite benefit or harm users, and teach the class how to apply it to UX or software development work.
Requirements
You and your teammates will give a 15-minute presentation (plus 5 minutes of Q&A) at the start of class on your assigned day. Your presentation should include:
- An overview of the pattern. What is it, and how would a designer implement it? Are there any ways you think people might be likely to get this wrong? Or places where it works particularly well? Give us an idea of how to apply this pattern in practice.
- An example (or two) of this technique in action. Your examples 1) SHOULD NOT come from the hand-out you are given, 2) SHOULD come from an existing digital interface, and 3) SHOULD raise ethical questions that you think are worthy of discussion. Your examples should include screenshots, video, or other illustrations of how they works. Where relevant, explain what you think makes this implementation problematic.
- Your reflections on this technique’s potential to harm or support users broadly speaking. You should answer several specific questions here. First, how might this technique be used problematically? If possible, relate it to the concepts we have covered in readings, like welfare, freedom, virtue, and relationships. Connect its potential for harm to specific ethical frameworks, like Utilitarianism, Libertarianism, or Deontology. Second, do you think this technique can be used neutrally or even for good? Explain what that might look like. Third, add any other reflections you have on the ethics of using this approach. For example, is it more or less problematic to use this technique in certain contexts or with certain populations? Is this something you would consider using yourself (as a designer) and why? Would you use a product that took this approach (as a user) and why? What would you say if your employer asked you to build this into a product you work on?
Deliverables
- Sign up for a presentation slot by 1/6/23
- Submit your slides by the start of class on the day of your presentation
- Give your presentation in class
Assessment
| Category | Criteria | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Provides an explanation of how the pattern works | 30% |
| Provides enough detail and clarity for a practitioner to try this out | ||
| Includes guidance for when to apply this pattern | ||
| Example | Presents an example that showcases the pattern | 30% |
| The example comes from an existing digital interface | ||
| The example was NOT already included in the hand-out provided | ||
| Explains/reflects on whether the example is good or evil; provides a principled justification for these judgments | ||
| Reflections | Provides thoughtful reflections about what makes the pattern good or evil | 30% |
| Provides principled justifications for these judgments (including connections to material from class) | ||
| Explains nuances of when using the pattern might be more or less ethically acceptable | ||
| Defends whether it is or isn’t possible to use this pattern for good | ||
| Includes a few additional miscellaneous reflections, chosen by the team | ||
| Style | Slide aesthetics | 10% |
| Clear and engaging presentation | ||
| Clear participation from all teammates |