Every product decision is a moral one
Most teams frame ethics as a box to check or a feature to add. But ethics isn’t a feature... It’s embedded in how we approach every choice.
Many times, I have been redesigning a user flow, and a teammate has asked: “Why does this matter?” It sounds simple, but it’s the question that separates good design from responsible design.
When you’re optimizing for engagement, conversion, or retention, you’re optimizing for something. The question is: who benefits? At what cost? Are you solving a real problem, or creating a dependency? What should the balance be?
The most effective product teams I’ve worked with start not with metrics, but with values. They ask: “What does success look like for everyone in this equation: the user, the business, the communities we operate in, society?”
That’s not feel-good corporate speak. Caring about equitable and ethical outcomes is a competitive advantage. Eventually, users recognize when they’re being manipulated and leave. A competitor swoops in, a new solution entirely is more easily accepted, or people just start to say enough and no more. Meanwhile, teams themselves know when their work has integrity, and they stay.
What’s one design or business decision at your org that would change if ethics were your north star instead of your afterthought?
