Ethical design manifesto
The Ethical Design Manifesto comes from the Small Technology Foundation. It describes in three layers what technology must achieve to be humane. Its core lies in the order of those layers.
The three layers
At the bottom are human rights. Technology that respects them is, according to the manifesto, decentralised, encrypted, open source, interoperable, accessible and sustainable. It protects civil liberties, reduces inequality and supports democracy.
In the middle is human effort. Here the manifesto means technology that works, is dependable and asks little. It allows for people being distracted or having a disability, and it is sparing with their time.
On top lies experience: technology that explains itself, recedes into the background and gives pleasure.
Order
The layers are meant as a pyramid, not a list. A good experience cannot be built where the foundation is missing. An application can be beautiful and convenient and still collect data nobody meant to give up.
That is the manifesto’s challenge: it turns questions of architecture into ethical questions. Where data sits, who can decrypt it and whether the source code is open count here not as technical details, but as decisions about the relationships a technology creates.
Friction points
The manifesto states a maximum position. Hardly any system in public administration or civil society meets the bottom layer in full. Anyone who uses it as a checklist will fail almost everything.
It is more useful as an ordering of questions: which layer is negotiable in this project, and which is not? A participation process that works without accounts has gained something at the base, even where the rest stays unfinished.
The top layer is the weakest in its language. Talk of magic and superpowers sits badly with a text whose strength lies in the sobriety of the layers below.
The wording, in the original
The manifesto is written in English. Here it is as the Small Technology Foundation wrote it, alongside the reading above.
Ethical Design · Respect
| 1 · Human Rights | Decentralised, private, open, interoperable, accessible, secure & sustainable |
| 2 · Human Effort | Functional, convenient & reliable |
| 3 · Human Experience | Delightful |
Human Rights. Technology that respects human rights is decentralised, peer-to-peer, zero-knowledge, end-to-end encrypted, free and open source, interoperable, accessible, and sustainable. It respects and protects your civil liberties, reduces inequality, and benefits democracy.
Human Effort. Technology that respects human effort is functional, convenient, and reliable. It is thoughtful and accommodating; not arrogant or demanding. It understands that you might be distracted or differently-abled. It respects the limited time you have on this planet.
Human Experience. Technology that respects human experience is beautiful, magical, and delightful. It just works. It’s intuitive. It’s invisible. It recedes into the background of your life. It gives you joy. It empowers you with superpowers. It puts a smile on your face and makes your life better.
The three layers support one another: “Respect” sits at the top of the pyramid, not beside it.
The full manifesto is available from the Small Technology Foundation.