Beyond the Interface: Building Safe and Fair Experiences with Stephanie Lucas

In this insightful episode of Fighting Dark Patterns, hosted by Marie, we sit down with Stephanie, a leading voice in ethical design and the founder of the Virtuous Designers League. Together, we explore how to create safer, more honest digital experiences by putting user agency and trust at the center of design decisions.

Stephanie shares her fascinating journey from advertising creative direction to becoming a passionate advocate for responsible design at LinkedIn, where she helped shape privacy and trust strategies. She dives into the realities behind deceptive design practices—why they persist despite regulatory scrutiny—and how short-term gains often lead to long-term brand damage.

Key Topics Covered:

• The critical role of user agency in ethical design.
• Why settings represent the purest form of user intent—and why that must be respected.
• How seemingly harmless phrases like “Cancel anytime” have lost meaning in the digital age.
• The true cost of dark patterns on customer trust and lifetime value.
• Practical advice for young designers on pushing back against unethical design practices.
• Why transparency isn’t a limitation but a powerful competitive advantage.

Stephanie also introduces her latest initiative, the Virtuous Designers League, a movement uniting creators around a pledge to prioritize fairness, accessibility, and responsible design in every decision.

Bonus: The episode is packed with must-read book recommendations and academic studies that prove fair design isn’t just good ethics—it’s good business.

Key Takeaway:
“Respect should be your word of the day. If you respect your users, you don’t trick them.” – Stephanie

Stay tuned for more episodes as we continue to fight deceptive design practices and build a more transparent and user-friendly digital world!

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