In user experience (UX) design, decisions can have far-reaching consequences. A key ethical concern is the use of dark patterns—design choices that manipulate users into actions they might not otherwise take. These patterns deceive, mislead or pressure users for the benefit of the company, often by making the more profitable or desired action the easiest, while obscuring or discouraging alternatives (Rosala, 2023). Today, UX is not just about usability or aesthetics. It plays a major role in shaping how people behave, what they see, and how they engage with the digital world. As such, the responsibility of designers has grown significantly. In his talk The Role of Design Ethics in UX, Jakob Nielsen, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group and a leading expert in usability, stresses that ethics must be part of the design process from the very beginning.
Nielsen explains that many design decisions are driven by short-term business goals, such as increasing click-through rates or boosting sign-ups. While these goals may seem harmless, they can lead to designs that exploit user behaviour rather than support user needs. When product success is measured only by numbers, the user’s wellbeing often becomes secondary.
This issue is also seen in the growing use of generative AI in design. A recent Adobe survey of 1,000 creative professionals show how fast the industry is adopting AI, but also raise ethical questions. Are these tools being used to support thoughtful design, or simply to move faster and cheaper? Are we maintaining control over quality, fairness and originality, or handing it over to algorithms? Nielsen encourages designers to think ahead. Ethics is not something to be added at the end, but a mindset that should guide decisions throughout the project. This could involve questioning design goals, identifying risks, or including ethical review as part of team discussions. Much like accessibility, ethical awareness needs to be built into the process, not bolted on as an afterthought.
References
Estabrook, D. and Markevicius, G. (no date) AI in design: Experts discuss practical applications, ethics, and what’s coming next. Toptal. Available at: https://www.toptal.com/designers/artificial-intelligence/ai-ethics-in-design
Rosala, M. (2023) Deceptive patterns. Nielsen Norman Group, 1 December. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/deceptive-patterns/
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