by Mike Monteiro
Every choice you make while building a product is a choice about what you value. Design is a craft with responsibilities. It is not a neutral art form. It is not a neutral business tool. It is not a neutral career.
When you make something, you're responsible for the impact that thing has on the world. You are responsible for the harm it causes. You are responsible for the good it does. You are responsible for the people it helps. You are responsible for the people it hurts.
If you're not willing to take responsibility for the things you make, you have no business making them. If you're not willing to take responsibility for the impact your work has on the world, you have no business doing this work.
This isn't a burden. This is a privilege. This is what makes design matter. This is what makes design worth doing.
No code of ethics should protect your work from criticism, be it from clients, the public, or other designers. Instead, you should encourage criticism in order to create better work in the future. If your work is so fragile that it can’t withstand criticism it shouldn’t exist.
The time to kick the tires on your work comes before those tires hit the road. And be open to that criticism coming from anywhere.
The role of criticism, when given appropriately, is to evaluate and improve work. Criticism is a gift. It makes good work better. It keeps bad work from seeing the light of day.
Criticism should be asked for and welcomed at every step of the design process. You can’t fix a cake once it’s been baked. But you can increase the chances your project is successful by getting feedback early and often. It’s your responsibility to ask for criticism.