Disappointed Optimists
A designer reflects on the inherent tension between the creative process and the corporate mandate to drive user behavior for profit. The author argues that design is fundamentally about behavior change, often in service of shareholder value rather than purely user-centric goals.
Why it matters
It offers a critical perspective on the ethics of the design industry and the reality of working within profit-driven organizations.
Every time I give a talk on design, someone finds me afterward. They wait out the handshakes and the business cards, and then they ask a version of the same question. How do I make THEM do things the RIGHT WAY?
(this happens with other disciplines too, but it ALWAYS happens when I talk to designers.)
I never have a good answer. Sometimes I talk about persuasion, sometimes social capital. But only recently I feel comfortable enough to say it is a cursed problem (more on that in a bit, keep reading.)
I teach a class called Design for Behavior Change. But let me tell you a secret: all design is behavior change.
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