I think it is the interaction designer's responsibility to ensure that any influence on behavior is done so without misleading the user to their detriment. I explored this idea in greater detail on my blog* (see below), but I think it comes down to ensuring that the cost to the user associated with a given behavior is proportional to the amount of transparency given to the user in facilitating that behavior. In other words, if the cost of following a particular behavior is low, then the designer's burden of providing sufficient transparency is also low. However, if the cost associated with a particular behavior is high, it is incumbent on the designer to ensure (via transparency and an unambiguous mental model) that the user is making an informed choice to participate in that behavior.
* Blog post mentioned above: http://everythingsdynamic.blogspot.com/2009/04/product-design-ethics.html . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=41860 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
