Lean Startup and Lean UX give you powerful experiment driven methods to learn about customers, products and services. But you’re not dealing with test tubes and chemicals. You’re dealing with people. The customer backlash from some of Facebook’s experiments last year shows that what companies can do doesn’t always match up with what customers think they should do. How do we keep doing valuable experiments without hurting our customers or damaging our reputation? There’s a word you hear from experimental scientists you don’t often hear on product teams: Ethics. How does your organisation help you create ethical experiments? Professional scientists have people & processes to help them deal with ethical issues — experiments pass both professional and institutional standards. Is anyone thinking about ethical standards inside your company — or is the issue being ignored completely?

1. https://www.flickr.com/photos/87007001@N04/15126712086
Experimenting With Experimental Ethics
Adrian Howard (@adrianh) #SparkLDN

2. 😇😈

3. https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcopako/2390914273

4. http://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788.full

5. http://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788.full

6. https://www.flickr.com/photos/frenkieb/385690862/
Most of what we read under
the name business ethics is
either sentimental common
sense, or a set of excuses for
being unpleasant
– For Business Ethics: A Critical Approach
(Jones, Parker & Bos)

8. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mamba_(pistol).jpg

9. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45131642@N00/4433233650
The Trolley Problem

10. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45131642@N00/4433233650

11. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45131642@N00/4433233650

12. https://www.flickr.com/photos/45131642@N00/4433233650

13. http://photo.credit.goes.here/
The needs of the many, outweigh
the needs of the few, or the one

14. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewise/405031536

15. KEEP
CALM
IT’S
COMPLICATED

16. 1. Own it

17. … the myth of
the designer’s
lack of control
–Victor Papanek

18. … the myth of the
designer’s team’s
lack of control
–Victor Papanek

19. 2. Articulate it

20. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath#/media/File:HippocraticOath.jpg

21. – Code of Professional Conduct of the User Experience Professionals Association
Ethical Principles
• Act in the best interest of everyone
• Be honest with everyone
• Do no harm and if possible provide benefits
• Act with integrity
• Avoid conflicts of interest
• Respect privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity
• Provide all resultant data

23. 3. Apply it

24. Implied Consent

25. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ASDA_in_Keighley.jpg

26. Informed Consent

28. Gut Check

29. What’s the worse that can
happen?

30. 😍😡

31. 0.007

32. 😍😡

33. 😍😍😍
😍😍😍
😍😍😍

34. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😡

35. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tower_of_london_from_swissre.jpg

36. 4. Improve it

37. buildlearn
measure
productdata
ideas

38. 1. Own
2. Articulate
3. Apply
4. Improve

39. All models are wrong, but some are useful.
Void where prohibited. Some assembly
required. Batteries not included. Any
resemblance to real persons, living or
dead is purely coincidental. Apply only
to affected area. May be too intense for
some viewers. Caveat emptor. Article is
provided as is without any warranties.
Other restrictions may apply.

40. 1. Own
2. Articulate
3. Apply
4. Improve

41. 1. Own
2. Articulate
3. Apply
4. Improve
5. Share

42. discoveryethics.com
@discoveryethics

43. Want more?
The latest Agile & Lean UX News
bit.ly/leanuxnews
Adrian Howard (@adrianh)
quietstars.com
“A treasure chest of recent lean &
agile material” — @davidpetersimon
“One of our favorite useful
newsletters” — @LadiesThatUXNYC
“It’s one of the best newsletters out
there” — @LadiesThatUXATL
“I get it you should too” — @tonytphd
“You should subscribe” — @brownpf