undefined | Better HN

0 pointsdanpalmer6y ago0 comments

You've done well to stick with these things, and I do agree with your point, but I think almost any company can fall afoul of these practices...

- Optometry practice management software... targeted at maximising in-store sales with prescriptions that are difficult to use elsewhere, encouraging dark-patterns in sales tactics, etc.

- Insurance benefits processing and customer service systems... that attempts to minimise payouts, potentially by adding burden on the customer through the customer service process.

- Professional soccer/football training iPad apps... arguably sports doesn't bring as much benefit to the economy as equivalent spending elsewhere.

- phone/pbx, Audio and video communcations, tie in with the web... for premium rate phone lines that users with little choice are forced to use, such as those installed in prisons in the US.

- mapping systems to evaluate water scarcity and agriculture water use... for Monsanto.

- government benefits systems... that optimises to minimise payouts or contains unnecessary checks and hurdles.

0 comments

ruffrey6y ago

These are great points. I'm reminded of a comedy TV show, The Good Place, where it turns out nobody has gone to "heaven - the good place" for a long time because there are too many unintended consequences of a person's actions. Buy an organic bamboo T-shirt? The company dumped waste into river. Vegan? You produced a bunch of single plastic plastic packaging.

It highlight the need to be diligent in daily decisions day-by-day. And when working somewhere that's doing something borderline, or totally unethical, working to move it in the right direction. I hope I can be aware enough to create a net benefit. The problem is knowing enough of the consequences of any action to evaluate if it's a net benefit. That's really hard, but I have to believe that toiling away _trying_ to make net positives happen will _actually_ result in net positives happening. Doubting I could ever make net positives happen leads to cynicism and ensures nothing good will come of my work.

(and thank you for bringing up point about benefit systems - that's the next gig for me, I will work to not be part of the problem)

danpalmerOP6y ago

Nice one. Just think about the user/consumer in any of these things. Does the thing I'm building help them, or only help the company I'm working for?

Be pragmatic. If the company provides a good service but doesn't survive, then that good service no longer exists! Some amount of optimisation for sales is likely necessary, but I think there's a line where things turn user-hostile, even in subtle ways.