Ethical design

Q: What is the difference between ethical design and inclusive design?

Ethical design covers several dimensions of design: eco-design, accessibility, transparency, respect for attention. Inclusive design, for its part, refers more specifically to everything that falls under accessibility and taking the diversity of users into account. An ethical design is therefore necessarily inclusive, but the reverse is not always true: an accessible product can still manipulate its user.

Q: Is ethical design compatible with commercial goals?

Yes, provided you do not think in the very short term. Dark patterns are sometimes seen as the quickest way to reach a commercial objective. But an ethical approach reaches the same objectives, perhaps more slowly, with a more lasting gain, because it builds a relationship of trust that creates loyalty. Designing ethically means going back to what really brings value, which is rarely incompatible with the success of a product.

Q: What is the connection between dark patterns and ethical design?

Dark patterns are mechanisms deliberately designed to mislead the user, to extract information from them, to make them accept a notice they have not read or buy an unnecessary extra. Ethical design is one of the responses to these practices. Putting ethics back into the equation means asking what values you want to stand for and what transparency you owe the user.

Concept

Becoming aware of one's stance as a designer

Ethical design is an approach that makes interface choices serve the user's real interests before those of the company commissioning them. While many methods seek to maximise a business objective, such as engagement, conversion or time spent, ethical design first asks whether what is being designed honestly serves the person using it.

It is not a separate specialism, but a requirement that runs through the whole design process. It connects with accessibility, which refuses to exclude, digital sobriety, which refuses what is superfluous, and transparency, which refuses to deceive. In practice, this means clear journeys, reversible choices, clear consent, and respect for the user's time and attention.

Conversely, interfaces designed to manipulate, retain or push users to act are dark patterns, which are now regulated under European law. Ethical design is the approach that aims to avoid producing them in the first place.

At Akiani, we try as much as possible to share these ethical values with our clients so that they can, in turn, choose consciously.

What is ethical design for?

Making design decisions with criteria of respect for the user beyond business metrics
Identifying and refusing practices that aim to manipulate users
Building a lasting relationship of trust between a product and its users

Why practise ethical design?

Defining an internal charter of design principles that guides difficult trade-offs
Meeting regulatory requirements (DSA, GDPR) by integrating ethics into the design process
Positioning yourself as an agency that refuses to apply dark patterns

Designer collectives such as Les Designers Éthiques designersethiques.org publish specialised articles and talks on the theme of responsible design. They present practical cases of using the RGESN and the GDPR and give advice on how to design consciously.

What is the difference between ethical design and inclusive design?

Is ethical design compatible with commercial goals?

What is the connection between dark patterns and ethical design?

Treebal, the identity of a French messaging app, sober and sovereign

View the case study

Mapping a rare disease without ever putting pressure on families

View the case study

Related methods

Dark patterns

Dark patterns are interfaces designed to manipulate. From the confusing cookie banner to the subscription trap, the European DSA has banned them since 2023.

Digital accessibility

Digital accessibility makes products usable by everyone. In the digital field, the RGAA is the reference on the matter.

RGAA

The RGAA is a French state standard that public services must comply with for their digital services.

Cognitive ergonomics

Cognitive ergonomics turns the way the brain works into design principles. Perception, memory, mental load: the foundations of UX design.

Micro-interactions

Micro-interactions turn a functional product into an enjoyable one: a like animation, real-time form validation, a loading indicator.

Usability

Usability measures whether a product lets its users reach their goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, as defined by the ISO 9241-11 standard. An essential component of UX.

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