Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Ethical Product Design Framework

Leiner, Benjamin, ...

Technical Note

Ethical Product Design Framework

Leiner, Benjamin; Parmar, Bidhan L.

E-0502 | Published December 6, 2023 | 3 pages Technical Note

Collection: Darden School of Business

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Technologists, particularly product managers, do not make design choices in a vacuum. Often, they have quantitative objectives they hope to achieve as part of their quarterly goals. But purely pursuing those objectives without considering risks to various stakeholders—for example, erosion of users' attention or users becoming politically radicalized—may result in considerable harm for not only the product's users but also for the organization. This technical note helps managers think about the unintended consequences of shipping a given feature. It will also help identify win-win solutions that can enable one to hit target metrics while mitigating negative stakeholder consequences.