Do Good Design Book Review

I’ve had the chance to read quite a few books that provide guidance and examples of how to become a better professional designer. After reading David Berman’s most book Do Good Design, I find myself to be enlightened and newly aware of the social influence and ethical accountability of design in every form (i.e. visual, interactive, information).

David states that technology has turned the world into designers via personalized interfaces, computers, and cell phones which segues into the his core thoughts:

• Designers have more power than they realize


• The largest threat to humanity’s future just may be the consumption of more than necessary


• Human civilization...can not afford one more major global goof


• The same design that fuels mass overconsumption also holds the power to repair the world


• We live in an unprecedented technological age where we can each reach a larger legacy by propagating our best ideas than by propagating our chromosomes


• Designers can be a model for other professions for identifying ones’ sphere of influence, and then embrace the responsibility that accompanies the power to help repair the world


• Don’t just do good design, do good

While I won’t list all of the book’s chapters (Amazon is pretty good at providing TOC links), I’ll highlight a memorable quote from each major section:

The Creative Brief: Disarming Weapons of Mass Deception

Designers can use their professional power, persuasive skills, and wisdom to help distribute ideas the world really needs

The Design Solution: Convenient Truths
Imagine again a society’s potential where the largest signs, the cleverest ads, the most prominent messages promote healthy behaviors....We can choose it now.

The Do Good Pledge
Immediacy - The time to commit is now
Ethics - I will be true to my profession
Principles - I will be true to myself
Effort - I will spend at least 10 percent of my professional time helping repair the world

I don’t think I ever took notice of the magnitude of ads / visual lies that were around me before I read David’s book. I HIGHLY recommend this book and I hope that once people read it, we can start showing the truth altogether.

Real: Visual lies, The power to change things, Our accountability, Overconsumption

Imagined: The next form of global communication will be company branded logos

Stop Lying...

Now more than ever, more people go online and look for jobs.Many companies are so desperate to get more work and skills out of the people they do hire, the job of requirements are turning into flat out lies, which in turn make job listings 'unusable'. We all know that hiring managers sometimes get overzealous when they post an opening or contract role. Sometimes hiring companies honestly don't know what an interaction designer does outside of what other job listings have stated, at which point someone 'cuts and pastes' other companies skills into their own opening descriptions. In extreme cases, the job title is so misleading from the responsibilities of the job, it seems like an federal enforcement agency should step in. Example:

Title:Information Architect
Responsibilities: Wireframes, prototypes, Linux server administration and installation, Java and WebSphere
Really? I guess you could say that many companies want to fill a server admin role and an IA role....but with the same person!?

Point 1: We (working class) need an honest assessment of the skills needed today AND tomorrow so we can compare expectations. And by expectations, I mean salary / equipment needs / managerial support. Lying is not good design...

Bad Example: Not too long ago, a person I know was hired to do visual and web design work for a small company. The job requirements were very simple: Adobe CS3, HTML, CSS, and Ajax, which are all typical of a front-end presentation level role. Within two days, the job somehow morphed into a full-fledged certified .NET C# Developer position (SQL included). The company's attempt at sponsored training: Borders. Bad Design? Yes, if you consider the job said 'GUI Designer'.

Good Example: Alan Cooper is a prominent author and founder of his own consulting company. On his Careers section, not only does he 'define' each job category, job exercises are present to help prospects determine where they fall in the companies hierarchy, if at all. Here is a link to an example for the interaction design exercise. Good Design? Yes. Why? I now know that I would not be a good communication designer for Cooper, but I would be a great interaction designer.

Point 2: Hiring Managers and Recruiters must stop pushing expectations apart from one another, just in favor of pacifying all parties until after the contract is signed. For the sake of all disciplines, its not good design to be a Talent Pimp...

Real: Truth and honesty can make many things usable, including software and designs

Imagined: Lying, deception, talent pimping