Design and ethics: At what point is it ok for us to make decisions for our users?

Image: Cyril Foiret

As designers, we make decisions and create solutions that greatly impact how people live their lives and behave.

We often talk about what is morally correct, what is ethically correct, but we use these words interchangeably without actually knowing the difference. Morality focuses on an absolute right and wrong, it describes what it is forbidden or permitted for us to do, which depends on the era or social context. Ethics on the other hand is the fundamental thought of what it means to act well, which means that ethics does not say what is right or wrong, rather it shows you the road you should take to live better. there are three main theories to explain an ethical act:

1. Virtue ethics, says that if a man has virtuous characteristics such as honesty, wisdom, or courage, you will have good intentions which will make you act in an ethical way.
2. Deontology focuses on the conduct that should be followed for an action to be ethical, independent of its consequences, like doctors that treat patients, no matter who they are.
3. Consequentialism determines whether an act is ethical by evaluating its consequences, it judges actions based on observable results, rather than the intention of the actor, which is highly difficult to prove.