Design Patterns for the Common Good: Building Better Technologies Using the Wisdom of Virtue Ethics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method for creating user experience design patterns grounded in virtue ethics, demonstrated through seven patterns for social media that promote virtues from Catholic Social Teaching, aiming to foster ethical technology development.

Contribution

It proposes a concrete approach for translating virtue ethics into design patterns, bridging theoretical ethics and practical technology design with empirical validation.

Findings

Patterns effectively embody the virtues they represent.

Participants valued patterns that fostered conversations and connections.

The approach supports integrating diverse virtue traditions into technology design.

Abstract

Virtue ethics is a philosophical tradition that emphasizes the cultivation of virtues in achieving the common good. It has been suggested to be an effective framework for envisioning more ethical technology, yet previous work on virtue ethics and technology design has remained at theoretical recommendations. Therefore, we propose an approach for identifying user experience design patterns that embody particular virtues to more concretely articulate virtuous technology designs. As a proof of concept for our approach, we documented seven design patterns for social media that uphold the virtues of Catholic Social Teaching. We interviewed 24 technology researchers and industry practitioners to evaluate these patterns. We found that overall the patterns enact the virtues they were identified to embody; our participants valued that the patterns fostered intentional conversations and personal connections. We pave a path for technology professionals to incorporate diverse virtue traditions into the development of technologies that support human flourishing.