Ruined by Design
Expressive
Inspirational
Intense

Ruined by Design How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It

Mike Monteiro2019
The world is working exactly as designed. The combustion engine which is destroying our planet's atmosphere and rapidly making it inhospitable is working exactly as we designed it. Guns, which lead to so much death, work exactly as they're designed to work. And every time we "improve" their design, they get better at killing. Facebook's privacy settings, which have outed gay teens to their conservative parents, are working exactly as designed. Their "real names" initiative, which makes it easier for stalkers to re-find their victims, is working exactly as designed. Twitter's toxicity and lack of civil discourse is working exactly as it's designed to work.The world is working exactly as designed. And it's not working very well. Which means we need to do a better job of designing it. Design is a craft with an amazing amount of power. The power to choose. The power to influence. As designers, we need to see ourselves as gatekeepers of what we are bringing into the world, and what we choose not to bring into the world. Design is a craft with responsibility. The responsibility to help create a better world for all. Design is also a craft with a lot of blood on its hands. Every cigarette ad is on us. Every gun is on us. Every ballot that a voter cannot understand is on us. Every time social network's interface allows a stalker to find their victim, that's on us. The monsters we unleash into the world will carry your name. This book will make you see that design is a political act. What we choose to design is a political act. Who we choose to work for is a political act. Who we choose to work with is a political act. And, most importantly, the people we've excluded from these decisions is the biggest (and stupidest) political act we've made as a society.If you're a designer, this book might make you angry. It should make you angry. But it will also give you the tools you need to make better decisions. You will learn how to evaluate the potential benefits and harm of what you're working on. You'll learn how to present your concerns. You'll learn the importance of building and working with diverse teams who can approach problems from multiple points-of-view. You'll learn how to make a case using data and good storytelling. You'll learn to say NO in a way that'll make people listen. But mostly, this book will fill you with the confidence to do the job the way you always wanted to be able to do it. This book will help you understand your responsibilities.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
5 stars
Feb 19, 2025
Candid
Intense
Timeless
Page turning
Photo of Lewis Ngugi
Lewis Ngugi@ngeshlew
5 stars
Feb 29, 2024
Photo of Jesper van Haaren
Jesper van Haaren@jesper
3 stars
Jul 17, 2022
Photo of Josh Clement
Josh Clement@joshclement
3 stars
Mar 16, 2022
Photo of Lucas Coelho
Lucas Coelho@coelholucas
5 stars
Sep 20, 2021
Photo of Luke Jones
Luke Jones@lukejones
4 stars
Sep 17, 2021
Photo of Rob Brogan
Rob Brogan@rob
5 stars
Sep 14, 2021
Photo of Khatliyn
Khatliyn@army_reader7
3 stars
Feb 4, 2025
Photo of Calin
Calin@calin
5 stars
Oct 11, 2023
Photo of Henning
Henning@hnnngb
4.5 stars
May 17, 2023
Ambitious
Expressive
Controversial
Photo of Andre
Andre@theinflatablekayak
4 stars
Jan 14, 2023
Inspirational
Photo of David Gallardo
David Gallardo@davidg
4 stars
Aug 24, 2022
Photo of Julya Buhain
Julya Buhain@julya
5 stars
Apr 14, 2022
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
4.5 stars
Feb 11, 2022
Photo of Joe Woods
Joe Woods@woods
5 stars
Dec 4, 2021
Photo of Pratik M
Pratik M@pcmhatre
4 stars
Jun 26, 2024
Photo of Anh Nguyen
Anh Nguyen@anhs
3 stars
May 1, 2024
Photo of Niels Andersen
Niels Andersen@nielsandersen
4 stars
Apr 30, 2024
Photo of Luis Cielak
Luis Cielak@fstraat
5 stars
Apr 12, 2024
Photo of Ben S
Ben S@beseku
4 stars
Apr 4, 2024
Photo of George Penston
George Penston@gpenston
4 stars
Apr 3, 2024
Photo of Leo Vogel
Leo Vogel@leovogel
3 stars
Feb 25, 2024
Photo of Guilherme Simoes
Guilherme Simoes@guilhermesimoes
4 stars
Dec 28, 2023
Photo of Lizelle G
Lizelle G@lizelle
4 stars
Dec 28, 2023

Highlights

Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
Page 209
Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
Page 97
Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
Page 63
Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
Page 34
Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
Page 20
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Fabian
Fabian@fabians
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori
Photo of Tobias Möritz
Tobias Möritz@tobimori