Sustainable Digital Design

"If the Internet was a country, it would be the 7th largest polluter."Let's face it, ephemera is the mainstay of graphic design. We make a living designing things that are meant to capture the viewer's immediate attention. In the process there's often a bit of excess. In the print world, this can result in litter on the landscape — think of all the post election signs, billboards, flyers, etc. In the digital realm, it takes the form of how much power is being used for data centers, telecom networks, and end user devices.UX and UI designers can work with their clients to set page weight budgets and limit the size on files that are transferred as a web page loads. This includes paying attention to the size of assets and minimizing the number of custom fonts used and limiting the use of video and animation. Designing in dark mode lowers the drain on batteries. Not only will this require less power, it's a win-win as it will create a smoother user experience.Designers can help make a difference and sign up to do so by taking the pledge and signing the Sustainable Web Manifesto.The manifesto calls upon designers to do the following:

• use services that are powered by renewable energy and use the least amount of energy and material resources as possible.
• use products and services that are accessible and allow for the open exchange of information and allow users to control their data.
• avoid dark patterns when designing
• design products and services that are regenerative and resilient

Designers need to respond to the needs of their clients, however, they can do it responsibly and educate them on the benefits of designing sustainably in the process.https://uxdesign.cc/essentials-for-designing-sustainable-digital-experiences-85563fab928https://www.wired.co.uk/article/netflix-carbon-footprint

Cradlr: Helping Refugee Children with App Design

Designer Jiang Jian was chosen by Design Incubation as the 2020 Creative Works Award Winner for her UX/UI Design Project, Cradlr, that aims to create a global network to help displaced children all over the world.Wars, political persecution, famines, pandemics, natural disasters, and more have displaced nearly 80 million people, 26 million of them are registered refugees and half of them are under age of 18, and most without access to cell phones or other communication devices. The Cradlr Network is a place where temporary guardians, international and regional organizations, as well as volunteers, can collect these children's stories and data and store in a database which will become a collective digital memory, as well as a resource to connect lives on a global scale to rescue and nurture refugee children. With her design, Jiang Jian hopes to find a humanitarian solution for a complex social challenge.Learn more here:Cradlr: A Design Project for Refugee Children from Jing Zhou Studio on Vimeo.

Keeping UX Design Human

UX (User Experience) Design is one of the fastest growing fields in graphic design. The change in growth was more than 15% from 2010 to 2016, close to double the national average. The field is exciting, new, and still emerging. In 2016, UX/UI job postings comprised 28% of the list.Roles on a UX team change and overlap. It's also a place where today's graphic designers are likely to find work and a career. Eventually their role may fall under the category of visual designer, however the field is so new that we don't know yet what other job titles will emerge. The State of UX in 2018 by UX Trends discusses what some of the associated areas that designers are venturing into. AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), motion design, prototyping, and product design are just some of the places. No matter what the job title, all involve engaging the end user and ultimately, creating their experience.Creating a user's experience is exciting, and full of responsibility. The line between authentic persuasion and manipulation is not a strong one. Ethical issues come into play in every aspect. How often a user waits, the imagery and colors used to engage them, the size of the elements along their path, are all design decisions that have ethical implications.In his Podcast, How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind, former Google ethicist Tristan Harris, discusses the ways in which tech designers use techniques like intermittent variable rewards, the number one psychological ingredient in slot machines. In the 1950s BF Skinner researched this concept and how effective unpredictable rewards are in keeping behavior going. FOMS (Fear of Missing Something) is another technique used by designers along with social Approval and social Reciprocity.Human-centered design expert Don Norman recently wrote an article for Fast Company, The Myth of Human-Centered Design, where he says that we design for "technology first" rather than putting the user first. Studies show us that users will adapt to these conditions and their behavior will be formed by technological advances, rather than a human-centered approach. Norman raises many questions about how experiences are created, including what defines the truth if anything can be simulated. Norman states that it's now time to produce a more sophisticated view of human-centered design, not just responding to what technology can do and what users crave.Graphic designers need to include what is in the best interest of the human race, rather than responding to technological advances. In this way, they will truly be participating in human-centered design.Sources:https://www.fastcompany.com/90208681/the-myth-of-human-centered-designhttps://medium.muz.li/2018s-ux-designer-salary-forecast-32ccc1dfcd5fhttps://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/home.htmhttps://designation.io/blog/now-is-the-time-for-ux-uihttps://trends.uxdesign.cc/https://medium.com/thrive-global/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3

Dark Patterns on the Road to Hell

When Milton Glaser wrote "12 Steps on the Graphic Designer's Road to Hell" it was pre-internet. I think it's safe to say designing dark patterns would certainly be worthy of a place on the list.Dark patterns are hidden design elements that are added to websites and apps to make you buy or sign up for things. Not unlike designing a package to look bigger on a shelf or a promotion for a product you know does not work.They can be implemented in a variety of ways:

• Bait and Switch
• Confirmshaming
• Disguised Ads
• Forced Continuity
• Friend Spam
• Hidden Costs
• Misdirection
• Privacy Zuckering
• Roach Motel
• Sneak into Basket
• Trick Questions

In his book, Evil by Design, author Chris Nodder compares dark patterns to the 7 deadly sins and organizes the content as such, ie. Envy: Create a culture of status around your product and feed aspirational desires.As consumers, we probably recognize many of these tricks. As graphic designers, how often have we helped create them? There is a fine line between influencing user behavior and tricking people. As a graphic designer its important to understand the difference. It's also important in a practical sense as Google may penalize websites with "intrusive interstitials" and subsequently your client's search engine optimization rating.In a recent article about avoiding dark patters on the web published by SpeckyBoy, author Stephen Moyers asks designers to avoid dark patterns at all costs. If you think something is unethical and falls into a dark pattern category, take a different route.https://darkpatterns.org/https://evilbydesign.info/https://speckyboy.com/ethics-ui-design-avoiding-dark-patterns/https://medium.com/adventures-in-ux-design/dark-patterns-and-the-ethics-of-design-31853436176b