[IxDA Discuss] Fwd: Snivelling about capitalism... was Primary interface

[Dave Chiu]

I have to agree with Antonella. Since when is NOT providing good service
part of a company's value proposition?

A company with poor service will quickly be eaten alive by companies that
do. This reality is perhaps better experienced in traditionally
service-oriented businesses like hotels and restaurants, but it's
relevant across all businesses (albeit perhaps at a slower pace).

> And contary to a prior statement, I don't think companies genuinely care about maximizing
> shareholder value; that is just a quarterly threat;  they will constantly screw shareholders
> given the chance to keep the money.

Just a quick point: Companies are legally compelled to maximize
shareholder value. Not doing so would mean that company executives are
in breach of fiduciary duty. Whether there is any accountability is
definitely open to question, but the rules are pretty clear.

> Any pretense that ACMs are for customer convenience or any other customer value is
> silliness.

By implication, then, the designers involved in producing said ACMs are
just as culpable in this charade.

While this may be "reality", I personally have misgivings about
involving myself in such a charade. I've said this before on other
mailing lists: Doctors have the hippocratic oath
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oath_modern.html); why don't
designers have something similar?

Responses typically revolve around "it's all about business and money"
or "designers are at the mercy of business", which I find kind of
strange, considering the designer's role as the link between customers
and core business—the laws of supply and demand would seem to mandate
designers having some say in business decisions.

Or put another way: as a recent graduate of design school, am I looking
forward to a life of mindless servitude to big business and the almighty
dollar? Or were at least some of the lessons I learned in grad school
relevant and applicable to the real world? (You know, all that fancy
talk about user-centered design and suchlike.)

Dave Chiu