teaching
Design Ethics, Human-Computer Interaction, and Intro Programming
Moral Reasoning and Interaction Design
University of Washington, Information School
What should you do when hateful content is published on a platform you created? Is it ok to use design patterns that will make users say they feel addicted to your app? If you design new surveillance technology, what will the real-world consequences be?
How can a designer make ethical choices as they create interfaces that could potentially affect people around the globe? This is the central question of “Moral Reasoning and Interaction Design.” In this course, we examine a variety of perspectives that attempt to articulate what is good and what is problematic. Through a mix of studio and seminar sessions, we discuss how to translate ethical principles into design principles and create new interface designs of our own. By the end of the class, students will robustly define the design of a new technology, solving a problem that exists today using ethical design.
Years Taught: SPR 23, SPR 25