Design Ethics and Social Responsibility

Good design is ethical, purposeful, pragmatic and elegant.

- Goodwin

Table of Contents

• Professional Behavior

• Technical Expertise

• Moral Values

AIGA

the professional association for design

Standards of Professional Practice– http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/standards-professiona

l-practice– “A professional designer adheres to principles of

integrity that demonstrate respect for the profession, for colleagues, for clients, for audiences or consumers, and for society as a whole.”

Professional Behavior

Professional BehaviorNational Society of Professional Engineers

Code of Ethics–“Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare . . . ”

–http://www.nspe.org/Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html

Professional Behavior

Industrial Designers Society of America

Code of Ethics–“We are responsible to the public for their safety, and their economic and general well-being is our foremost professional concern.”– http://www.idsa.org/content/code-ethics

Professional Behavior

Ethical Behavior Defined• Show respect for peers in fair competition• Avoid conflicts of interest• Avoid deceptive acts• Act as a faithful agent for all clients• Provide work of the highest quality

Technical Expertise

• Provide services only in areas of competence

• Address legal obligations and other responsibilities

EXAMPLES– Consumer Product Safety Act– Restrictions on design and content of products– Universal design– Special labeling requirements– Product stewardship

Moral Values

• Right and good

• Positive impact on people and society

• Ethical concerns– Sustainability

• Reduce waste• Preserve natural resources• Reuse and recycle• Increase energy efficiency• Reduce toxic substance use

– Consumerism– Economic imbalance

Consequences of Unethical Behavior• People are harmed• The environment is adversely affected• Loss of professional credentials• Bad reputation• Liability – defective design

– More dangerous than a typical consumer would expect

– Reasonable seller would not place item on the market

– Risks outweigh benefits

Images Sources

Microsoft, Inc. (n.d.). Clip art. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx

References

US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972. Encyclopedia of Business and Finance. Retrieved at http://www.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/consumer-product-safety-act.

Shiff Hardin LLP. Product design and content restrictions. Retrieved at http://www.schiffhardin.com/PDFs/Product_Regulatory_Team_summaries.pdf.