What’s the worst that can happen?

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

In the movies, this is usually said by a supporting character whose fate isn’t all that great.

And that’s because this character is NOT actually considering the worst possible scenarios.

Sometimes, as the viewer, you know what’s up. “It’s hiding in the basement!” you scream at the screen.

And sometimes, you don’t actually know what’s going to happen—you just know that thoughtlessly walking into whatever shenanigans the character is suggesting rarely works out well.

So we generally get the message here: It’s important to consider both the intended and unintended outcomes of our actions.

But here’s the thing: We don’t always do this as designers.

More often than not, we focus on our INTENDED outcomes. The purpose of our design. And the metrics that will measure progress toward goals.

There are a ton of reasons we do this (e.g., cultural norms, excitement about ideas, general optimism, sense of urgency).

But it’s poor practice.

Because any time we design for an intended outcome, we create the potential for unintended outcomes. Which might be fine or even neutral. But they could also take the form of harmful consequences.

So it’s essential to explore and consider unintended consequences during our design process.

Hold the time. Hold the space. Approach this exploration with care and rigor.

And then decide how—or even if—your team can ethically and equitably move forward.

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