A future book exploring how designers and innovators can avoid collaborations and projects that will create more harm than good.
Three rules of thumb to do no harm
In the past year I’ve been working on highly emotional and deep projects. I created a set of rule of thumbs to make sure that my implication wouldn’t create more harm than good.
A book in the making
I used a set of rules that I’ve come intuitively. These rules help me work on projects where I don’t make things worse. Today I’m taking the time to reflect on why those rules work, why others might want to create their owns and how they might do that.
A few extra tools
In this tiny book I’m also sharing what other tools I use to avoid doing harm with my design and innovation work. I’ve also added a list of resources that I stumbled upon that might be of interest for anyone thinking about the negative outcomes of design and innovation practices.
4 files
35 text files
Table of content
Introduction
Foreword
This is no ethics book
Why this exists
Based on my own practice
The summary
My do no harm rules, for now
Introduction
People need to have a shared decision making process
People need to not want to kill each other
People need to have a common goal
The fucked up reasons why we might need rules
Introduction
The hammer bias
The magical thinking bias
The Peter Principle
The expert bias
Designers broke the world
The positive reasons why we need rules
Introduction
Positive rational overrides
Positive cultural hack
Positive reminder of a hidden problem
Positive void that creates motivation
How to create your own rules
Introduction
Questions to help you out
Three rules, rule
It’s never done
Beyond avoiding harm
Introduction
Don’t be a dick
Your weakness is another person strength
Suggest alternatives
Bonus: Tools to do no harm
Introduction
The five oh shit
Pre-mortem
The death bed visualization
Little end notes
Thank you note
Licence
Out of scope but interesting
Introduction
Humane Design Guide
Dark Patterns
Ledger of Harms
Impact Canvas
The author
Daniele is an Innovation Coach who works in Switzerland and sometimes ends up asking himself philosophical questions like: “How might we not fuck up things more than what they already are?”
Daniele Catalanotto