We Can Do Hard Things: Shifting Attitudes with UX Design
How might we employ UX Design in service of sharing a difficult, yet compelling story to affect changes in attitude within a national audience of children and adults?
This presentation reviews Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See, a nationally touring exhibit created by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Does UX Design have the power to transform understanding in users through immersive and responsive interactives? We will ask and answer this question throughout the presentation and discussion which follows.
A brief review of the overall exhibit sets the context for an in-depth look at the UX Design of 2 digital interactives within it. The presentation will explore the strategic objectives for the interactives as well as the process of developing the UX (and UI) tactics for accomplishing them. Visuals and play-throughs of the interactives will anchor detailed exploration of the principles guiding their development and outcomes.
Break + Ice Breaker
Brief break plus ice breaker activity.
What Can Designers Do About Dark Patterns? Guidance from Academic Research and Regulatory Action
As design professionals, we are uniquely positioned to shape how people interact with technology. While UX designers often seek to enhance empathy and improve the usability of products, the same insights can be misused in the form of dark patterns—design tactics that manipulate or deceive users into taking unintended actions. This talk examines the latest research and regulatory responses to these harmful practices and provides designers with the tools and knowledge they need to ensure their work prioritizes user welfare.
This talk will explore actionable strategies designers can implement to identify and counteract dark patterns in digital products. Drawing from academic research and recent regulatory actions, we will discuss how to recognize harmful design practices, as well as approaches to prevent them, while fostering ethical and user-centered design solutions. Attendees will leave with guidance on navigating the complexities of ethical decision-making in UX, whether they are seasoned professionals or new to the field.
Attendees will:
* Learn about key academic research and real-world examples of dark patterns and their negative impacts on users.
* Understand recent regulatory actions, including emerging legal definitions and frameworks for identifying and addressing dark patterns.
* Gain practical guidance on recognizing and mitigating dark patterns within their own work, using an ontology that categorizes these deceptive tactics at different scales—ranging from specific UI choices to broader organizational strategies.
* Discuss the role of ethical design in fostering trust between users and organizations and how to apply ethical principles in everyday design practice.
The session will include the following activities:
* Group Discussion: Attendees will identify dark patterns from real-world examples and explore how they could be redesigned to avoid user manipulation.
* Design Scenarios: We’ll work through several common design challenges, identifying ethical dilemmas and discussing solutions that avoid dark patterns.
Participants will receive a worksheet outlining common types of dark patterns, summarizing an emerging ontology of dark patterns.
Colin Gray, is a leading scholar in dark patterns research internationally, and have contributed numerous academic articles as well as community outreach and legal consulting work on the topic.
Ice Breaker
Ice breaker activity.
The Aesthetics of “Easy to Use”
Experts
use heuristics and cognitive theories to explain why something is or is not usable.
But
what do things look and act like that are perceived as “user friendly”?
What
are the sensory signals that viscerally communicate that a thing is going to be “easy to use”?
This
presentation will be a visual description of how people explain “easy to use”, in their own words, using pictures and stimuli.
Characteristics
of user friendliness such as intuitive, obvious, straightforward, familiar, clear, effortless, ergonomic, and organized will be visualized.
These
qualities of “easy to use” will come to life through a broad range of categories and contexts including automotive, electronics, banks, tools, food packaging, over the counter medications, and appliances.
Making
all aspects of life easy is a universal need.
Pictures
will be used to make “easy to use” easy to understand.
Ignite Talks and Poster Session
During this session, attendees can choose between two exciting formats:
- Ignite Talks: These are fast-paced, dynamic presentations where speakers have 5 minutes to share their insights on a specific topic, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. Expect quick, engaging ideas designed to spark inspiration and conversation.
- Poster Session: Explore visual presentations of UX projects and research at your own pace. Poster presenters will be available to discuss their work, answer questions, and provide deeper insights into their findings and approaches.
Whether you’re looking for rapid-fire talks or a chance to dive deeper into specific topics, this session offers something for everyone!
Lunch
Lunch break and networking.
Workshop: Designing with Empathy for a Better World
Get hands-on with Design Thinking methods you can quickly apply to uncover diverse perspectives and assess the broader impact of your design.
Ignite Talks and Poster Session
During this session, attendees can choose between two exciting formats:
- Ignite Talks: These are fast-paced, dynamic presentations where speakers have 5 minutes to share their insights on a specific topic, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. Expect quick, engaging ideas designed to spark inspiration and conversation.
- Poster Session: Explore visual presentations of UX projects and research at your own pace. Poster presenters will be available to discuss their work, answer questions, and provide deeper insights into their findings and approaches.
Whether you’re looking for rapid-fire talks or a chance to dive deeper into specific topics, this session offers something for everyone!
Ethics of AI
The word Artificial Intelligence is all the buzz in today’s tech. LLMs or Limited Language Models have the potential to do great things, allowing for efficiencies and focus that haven’t existed before. But, with as much good as AI can accomplish, it can also be a huge force for unethical behaviors and outcomes. For example, Artificial intelligence, can make existing social inequalities worse. AI can cause more unfairness in housing, education, and healthcare. AI favors the average or typical. This can lead to less support for people who are disabled In this session, I will explains how AI’s focus on statistics can ignore the needs of individuals who don’t fit the norm and how we as inclusive designers can be a force for making sure that AI is only a force for positive, inclusive outcomes.
This is a workshop that anyone can use when creating a new design, product, process, or policy. Each table will be given a design topic from the WUD examples e.g., Public Spaces, Product Packaging and a “How might we” statement starter. For example, “HMW design an urban transportation system integrating vehicles, public transit, and non-powered mobility?”
Participants will then utilize three methods such as: “What’s on Your Radar”, “Customer, Employee, Shareholder”, and “Consequences Scanning” to explore what they would consider important, what others would, and the broader impact a solution might have on marginalized populations, broader society, and the environment. After each method participants will be asked to briefly discuss their perspective’s similarities and differences.
We’ll wrap up with what next steps could look like after using these methods in the real world and a brief Q&A.