How to Provide an Honest and Ethical User Experience

What is an ethical user experience?

An ethical user experience (UX) is one that’s designed to be fair, transparent and respectful of users at every touchpoint. It goes beyond making your website functional or visually appealing; it’s about building trust. Ethical UX design protects user data, promotes accessibility and avoids manipulative design patterns that pressure or mislead people into taking unwanted actions.

The push toward ethical UX has grown in recent years, driven by high-profile data breaches and reinforced by regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25 percent increase from 2023. This surge highlights why transparent, responsible design is so critical for protecting consumers and maintaining trust.

Modern UX teams are embedding ethics into every stage of development, from early concept to final launch. They rely on collaborative design methods, internal checklists and built-in accountability to ensure business decision-making balances usability with integrity.

How to provide an ethical user experience

UX design can be a positive force when it’s created to genuinely benefit the user and their needs. Follow these best practices to ensure you’re creating an ethical user experience.

1. Don’t exploit your users’ fear of missing out.

When done well, user experience design can encourage positive habits that align with users’ goals. For example, a gamified fitness app might motivate users to adopt healthier lifestyles by rewarding their progress — an example of constructive motivation that benefits the user.

Unfortunately, many apps and digital platforms still rely on the fear of missing out (FOMO) to drive engagement. While this tactic may boost short-term clicks, it can undermine trust and well-being. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, excessive social media use driven by FOMO is linked to higher anxiety and depression rates, especially among young adults.

Instead of using fear or guilt to push users toward action, focus on positive reinforcement. Simple messaging, thoughtful prompts or celebratory animations can encourage engagement without manipulation. Fear can motivate behavior, but it’s a fragile foundation — and it erodes trust. Businesses build stronger, more ethical brands when they empower users rather than pressure them.

2. Keep your prices transparent.

Customers quickly lose trust when they reach checkout and discover unexpected charges for taxes, shipping or service fees. It’s a small detail, but it can make your business seem deceptive, even if that’s not the intent.

The issue is such a problem that when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized its “junk fee” rule, which went into effect in May 2025, it estimated that the change could save consumers up to 53 million hours annually and about $11 billion over the next decade. The rule bans hidden fees in industries like live-event ticketing and short-term lodging and serves as a reminder that business transparency isn’t just good practice; it’s becoming standard professional ethics.

No matter your industry, when pricing your services or products, include all taxes and fees upfront rather than revealing them at checkout. Hidden charges don’t just frustrate customers — they drive them away. According to Statista, nearly 40 percent of consumers abandon their online shopping carts when they encounter surprise costs. It’s clear that honesty and simplicity aren’t just ethical; they’re good for business.

3. Don’t design products that are harmful to users’ health.

Apps and websites, especially social platforms, often tap into people’s natural desire to connect and belong. When used responsibly, that can be positive. But when businesses exploit that instinct to drive endless scrolling or constant posting, the result can harm users’ well-being.

Instead of focusing only on engagement, track how your product affects users’ quality of life. Metrics like time spent away from the app, user satisfaction scores, and self-reported well-being can help ensure your product enhances, not diminishes, people’s daily lives.

Don’t ignore qualitative feedback, either. Talk with your users about how your product makes them feel and where it adds value. When you understand their motivations and frustrations, you can design with empathy, not exploitation. That’s how you build lasting trust and a strong brand community.

4. Make subscriptions easy to cancel.

Few things frustrate customers more than signing up for a subscription that’s easy to start but nearly impossible to cancel. Hidden links, endless confirmation steps and vague “contact us” instructions send the wrong message about your company’s transparency and ethics.

The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed “click to cancel” rule (finalized in late 2024 and currently under review) is part of a broader push to stop companies from using manipulative design tactics that make cancellations difficult. The goal is simple: make cancellation as easy as enrollment. Even though parts of the rule are still being challenged, it reflects a growing consumer expectation: businesses should make it easy to opt out, not harder.

As with rules surrounding opt-in email marketing, make it effortless for customers to cancel an order or subscription. Include one-click cancellation options and clear unsubscribe links in every communication. When customers know they can leave without hassle, they’re more likely to come back later and even recommend your business to others.

5. Don’t allow your biases to affect your designs.

Designers are trained to build experiences that feel intuitive and comfortable, but good design also means knowing when to step back and question your assumptions.

Take voice assistants, for example. Most still default to female voices and friendly, even flirtatious tones, which can unintentionally reinforce old stereotypes. A UNESCO study pointed out that this kind of lack of diversity in tech often shapes how people perceive gender roles in digital spaces.

When digital products or software mimic human behavior, it’s worth asking whether those choices challenge or reinforce bias. Some companies, including Apple and Google, have expanded their voice options to reflect a wider range of users and perspectives. Taking time to recognize your own assumptions — and discussing them as a team — can reveal blind spots you might not notice otherwise.

Building awareness doesn’t mean every design must be perfectly neutral; it means being intentional. When teams understand the impact of their creative choices, they create experiences that respect users and build trust.

6. Make your privacy policy transparent.

Privacy policies are often dense, full of legal jargon, and difficult for the average consumer to understand at a glance. Research from the Pew Research Center shows that nearly 60 percent of U.S. adults don’t read online privacy policies, which means most people agree to terms without knowing how their data will be used.

Instead of relying on long, complicated documents, make your data practices easy to follow. Use short summaries or quick bullet points where data is collected to explain what information you gather, why it’s needed, and how customers can manage their choices. Writing in plain, everyday language helps people feel informed rather than overwhelmed.

You can still include the full details in your complete privacy policy, but clarity should come first. When customers understand what they’re agreeing to, they’re more likely to trust your business and continue sharing information with confidence.

7. Don’t trick people to increase profits.

In design, pop-ups asking for consent often rely on dark patterns — layouts that steer users toward “agree and continue” buttons by making them more prominent than other choices. It’s a small trick that takes advantage of human instinct, and most of us have fallen for it at some point.

The European Union’s Digital Services Act, which took effect in 2024, now prohibits dark patterns and requires online platforms to design interfaces that don’t deceive or pressure users into making unintended choices. Still, some companies continue to prioritize engagement and ad exposure over user trust.

In his book Evil by Design (Wiley, 2013), UX expert Chris Nodder explored how unethical design exploits basic human psychology, a reminder that every design decision carries ethical weight. Designers can avoid these pitfalls by balancing every choice visually, labeling options clearly and using plain, honest language that helps users feel in control.

Chasing metrics at any cost risks crossing ethical lines that damage your brand reputation. Ethical design builds long-term trust and creates experiences that enrich users’ lives, not exploit them.

The harm that comes from unethical user experiences

Ethics play a major role in shaping a positive user experience. When companies overlook them, it can lead to privacy violations, reinforce harmful biases and manipulate users into making choices they didn’t intend. Over time, these practices erode trust, damage reputations and harm society as a whole.

Here are some of the most common consequences of unethical UX design:

• Loss of user trust: Deceptive UX patterns undermine consumer confidence. According to PwC’s Customer Loyalty Survey, 55 percent of consumers would stop buying from a brand after a few bad experiences, and 32 percent would leave after inconsistent ones. Trust fades quickly when users encounter hidden fees, manipulative language or subscription traps that make it hard to cancel.
• Emotional manipulation: Some UX tactics rely on pressure rather than persuasion. False scarcity warnings, aggressive countdown timers and guilt-based messaging can trigger anxiety and regret — emotions that hurt both users and brands in the long run.
• Lack of diversity and accessibility: With over 1 billion people worldwide living with disabilities (about 15 percent of the global population), inaccessible design excludes a significant share of users from digital experiences. Prioritizing accessibility not only supports inclusivity but also strengthens brand integrity.

Ethical UX design builds trust, fosters better customer relationships and makes people feel genuinely valued. When developing your digital presence, establish clear ethical guidelines for your team that prioritize transparency, accessibility and user well-being from the start. A positive, ethical experience benefits everyone: your users, your team and your long-term business success.