…but what else could happen?

We spend a lot of time, energy, and money on designing for a specific set of outcomes.

We align on those outcomes. We identify metrics of success to evaluate whether we’ve achieved them. We report out on them.

Now there’s nothing wrong with maintaining that focus when collaborators agree it’s the right opportunity to solve for. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore other potential outcomes.

Because often, our designs do produce unintended effects. Sometimes those are positive. And sometimes, they are not.

There is no way to anticipate every possible outcome. And there is no way to guarantee safety. But we can mitigate potentially harmful unintended consequences in our work.

At every stage of design—from research/learning to prototyping—we need to pause and ask ourselves, our co-designers, and our partners: If we do this, what else could happen as a result?

If harm could be caused, the team can now make different, more informed decisions.

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