I started working with user experience (UX) long before the term was even known. Over the past 40 years, I’ve encountered many issues that have disturbed me – from creating purposely addictive programs, sites, and apps, to the current zeitgeist for various design trends at the expense of basic usability. I have seen research that is faked, ignored, or twisted by internal company politics and by the cognitive bias of the design team. And I have seen countless dark patterns that suppress accessibility and diversity by promoting false beliefs and false security.

Whenever we say, “That’s not my problem,” or, “My company won’t let me do that,” we are handing over our ethical responsibility to someone else – for better or for worse. Do innocent decisions evolve so that they promote racism or gender discrimination through inadvertent cognitive bias or unwitting apathy? Far too often they do.

We, as technologists, hold incredible power to shape the things to come. I would like to share my thoughts with you so you can use this power to truly build a better world for those who come after us!