Mindful

Respect humanity

Amplify the best of technology and the best of humanity

Design for people first.

Machines shouldn’t act like humans.

Humans shouldn’t act like machines.

Amplify the best part of each.

Discourage addictive usage

Don't use “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) as a way to establish and maintain unhealthy addictions.

Since addictive feedback systems are perceived as being good for business, they are deliberately designed into everyday products. While these systems are often useful in the short-term, they do not foster a positive relationship between the person and product in the long-term. Addictions are often cultivated by unpredictability — a common technique known as variable reward — where something different happens with every click. While variability and mystery can be authentic and integral parts of some products, they are capable of actively creating unhealthy and unsustainable addictions. Instead, create more manageable and predictable experiences to mitigate this problem.

Respect social norms

Technology takes time to introduce to humanity.

What social norms exist that the technology or content might violate or stress?

Slowly introduce features so that people have time to get accustomed to the product.

Minimize social anxiety

Fix the design decisions that make people feel bad about themselves.

Calm tech

From Calm Tech.

• Technology should require the smallest possible amount of attention.
• Technology should inform and create calm.
• Technology should make use of the periphery.
• Technology should amplify the best of technology and the best of humanity.
• Technology can communicate, but doesn’t need to speak.
• Technology should work even when it fails.
• The right amount of technology is the minimum needed to solve the problem.
• Technology should respect social norms.

Person-first design

You are not the user

Raluca Budiu wrote this in describing the False-Consensus Effect, in which designers, developers, and [stakeholders]... project their behaviors and reactions onto users.

Avoid “average” and assumptions

The “average” user does not exist.

[...] the moment you need to make a decision about any individual—the average is useless. Worse than useless, in fact, because it creates the illusion of knowledge, when in fact the average disguises what is most important about an individual. Todd Rose, The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness

Avoid single story narratives

The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they’re untrue, but that they’re incomplete. -Chmamanda Ngozi Adichie

Do not assume that because a person falls into a stereotype that the stereotype is true for them, or that it is the only truth for them.

Value attention

Value human attention

Recognize that any attention-based product impacts wellbeing.

Human attention is too often peripheral in the drive to educate and inform. Recognize that content design impacts the human mind and mental wellbeing. Hold a deep-rooted respect for human attention and examine the impact of the design decisions made through a user-centred process to build attentional content that prioritizes meaningful engagement between a person and the content.

Require the smallest possible amount of attention

Technology can communicate, but doesn’t need to speak.

Create awareness through different senses.

Communicate information without taking people out of their environment or task.

Make use of the periphery

A calm technology will move easily from the periphery of our attention, to the center, and back.

The periphery is informing without overburdening.

Use the minimum needed to solve the problem

What is the minimum amount of technology or content needed to solve the problem?

Slim features down so that the content does what it needs to do and no more.

Respect information zones

Develop sustainable modes of communication between web assets and people.

Avoid anti-patterns

These are also known as “dark patterns”. Because of the connotation that dark equals bad or evil (such as in this case), and our anti-racism work, avoid using the word “dark” unless it’s directly related to light or color.

Avoid anti-patterns

Stop tricking people, and make it easier for them to make their own choices.

A Dark Pattern is a user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things, such as buying insurance with their purchase or signing up for recurring bills. (Brignull, 2010)

Anti-patterns are used to boost profits, and trick people into completing actions they didn’t notice or mean to. Be aware of the interactions built into web assets, talk openly about their ethics, and reduce dependencies on deception.

Technology should work even when it fails

Think about what happens if the technology fails.

Does it default to a usable state or does it break down completely?

Prioritize quality

Focus on producing and encouraging high quality, distraction-free content.

Provide exit points

Promote a calm experience by providing a sense of completion and giving people an option to disengage.

Establish holistic measures

Create ways of measuring success which incorporate more than just the bottom line.