The Paradox of Design: Intention vs. Outcome

A question to all esteemed product managers: Do you consider the paradox of intention vs. outcome while designing a product??

Sometimes there is a discrepancy between the intended purpose or goal of a design, action, or decision, and the actual result or consequence that manifests in reality. Despite our best intentions, the outcomes of our endeavors may not align with what we had initially envisioned or desired. My ex-boss once told me that deployment is a lot more complex and difficult than most PMs anticipate, because often the challenges that surface during or after deployment are not anticipated while you're engineering the solution.

Let me give a few examples to explain my point:

Passwords and Cybersecurity:

At its inception, the design of password requirements stemmed from a genuine desire to strengthen cybersecurity. Overtime websites, platforms, and digital services set forth a myriad of criteria – a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, special characters, and minimum length – with the aim of creating robust barriers against unauthorized access. I believe, these are crafted with the noble intention of fortifying digital fortresses. Some designer may make the requirement more stringent (of course with well-meaning intention) - "let's increase the minimum length to 12". Would it ensure more robust security? The answer is NO. The end result we find a landscape littered with reused, weak, or poorly safeguarded passwords, effectively rendering the original design intent moot.

PS: To me, it’s a no-brainer to use a password management system. If you're interested, I use 1Password.

Social Media Engagement:

Social media platforms design algorithms with the intention of increasing user engagement and satisfaction. However, unintended outcomes may include the amplification of misinformation, polarization of viewpoints, and the proliferation of harmful content due to algorithmic biases and unintended consequences of recommendation systems.

Economic Policies:

Many people who received financial help from the government during Covid-19, ended up delaying joining the work force. I would hope that policymakers account for these learnings when they devise UBI (Universal Basic Income) in the future to assist those who lost jobs to AI.

Criminal Justice Policies:

San Francisco passed Proposition 47 that reclassified certain nonviolent offenses, including theft of property valued under $950, from felonies to misdemeanors. While the intention behind Proposition 47 was to reduce overcrowding in prisons, alleviate the burden on the criminal justice system, and prioritize rehabilitation over incarceration for nonviolent offenders, its implementation had unintended consequences. Nearly half of the retail stores closed in SF downtown since 2019. Although we can't blame all that on Prop 47 (other factors include rising homelessness, COVID-19 and a slow economy), its impact is non-trivial.

In summary, the paradox of intention versus outcome serves as a reminder of the inherent uncertainty and complexity of the world we live in. It urges us to approach our endeavors with humility, acknowledging that while we can strive for certain outcomes, we must also be prepared to adapt and respond to the dynamic interplay of forces that shape our reality.

If this article resonates with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to share your reflections and insights.