Video: What Role(s) Can Research Play in Responsible Design?

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What Role(s) Can Research Play in Responsible Design?

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Thursday, March 11, 2021 • Advancing Research 2021

Mandy Drew

UX Research Lead, CreditWise, Capital One

Summary

Netflix's documentary "The Social Dilemma" shined a harsh spotlight on how design patterns and advertising targeting developed to encourage engagement and tailor content to users' preferences have dangerous, far-reaching consequences. We will discuss: What role can researchers play in mitigating negative social and personal impacts during the design process? If we discover evidence that a design solution to a business goal negatively impacts customers' lives, how might we help our design and product partners consider a different solution? What is the responsibility of researchers to determine how products we've already launched affect our customers' lives?

Key Insights

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Misinformation thrives due to design patterns that favor sensationalism and engagement over truth.
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The algorithms that connect users to content can lead to dangerous consequences, including conspiracy theory beliefs.
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Machine learning and data mining can introduce biases in critical areas like healthcare and criminal justice.
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Infinite scroll and similar design features can exacerbate addictive behaviors among users.
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User experience research should prioritize the diverse needs of all potential users, not just those easiest to access.
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Technological developments should be accompanied by efforts to assess their social impacts beforehand.
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Researchers have a duty to educate stakeholders about the potential harms of focusing solely on engagement metrics.
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Proactive measures, like remote unmoderated studies, allow for more authentic user feedback than traditional methods.
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The role of researchers is to recommend design practices that prioritize user well-being and resist addictive features.
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Engaging marginalized perspectives can reveal valuable insights that improve product designs.

Notable Quotes

"I lost my family in 2020, not to the coronavirus, but to conspiracy theories and false claims promoted on social media."

"The people we've lost are not intelligent, gullible, or willfully ignorant; they simply became victims of misinformation."

"Algorithms on YouTube concluded my family would find stories shared on alternative media interesting."

"False information spread significantly farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth."

"We have an enormous responsibility not only to find out if the designs we help create are useful but also to help predict their possible impacts before we launch them."

"We'll never solve the problem if we continue to rely on metrics that don't consider the well-being of our users."

"Let's use algorithms to promote sources with scientific integrity and allow users to opt out of data collection."

"We should encourage our business partners to measure success based on user health, safety, and happiness, not just engagement metrics."

"The hook model strategy can be mirrored to help people develop good habits, not just addictive behaviors."

"Let’s prioritize inclusion and bring in diverse voices into our research practices."

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