this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2023
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AssholeDesign

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This is a community for designs specifically crafted to make the experience worse for the user. This can be due to greed, apathy, laziness or just downright scumbaggery.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Why include software engineers in this? In the large companies I've worked for, the people with the title "software engineer" have absolutely nothing to do with the actual design of something like this; we just get handed a spec and are expected to implement it as is. In smaller companies I always did one-person projects where I handled every aspect of the development process including UX and UI, but my title was not "software engineer". Are you expecting the engineers to refuse to implement a "feature" like this on principle or something?

[–] pomodoro_longbreak 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The title's meaning and weight can vary. So can the responsibilities and impact of an individual engineer's decisions. But there is a longstanding tradition of engineers as gatekeepers for quality and the ethical application of their skills.

For instance, licensed engineers in Canada have a duty to the following code of ethics. To quote the header:

Registrants shall conduct themselves with integrity, in an honourable and ethical manner. Registrants shall uphold the values of truth, honesty and trustworthiness and safeguard human life and welfare and the environment. In keeping with these basic tenets, registrants shall: [...]

[–] Elderos 6 points 1 year ago

That's why in Canada virtually everyone is a "Software Developer". Same job across in the state you'll be called an "engineer".

[–] zalgotext 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are you expecting the engineers to refuse to implement a "feature" like this on principle or something?

Yes. Or at least question it.

Just like I'd expect a civil engineer to question the plans for that bridge they're building if it seems like it's not up to spec.

Or like I'd expect an electrical engineer to revise the plans for a circuit that poses an electrocution risk.

Why would software engineers be held to a different standard?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I'm a software dev. Given, the shit I work on right now is all internal. But I question the hell out of stupid decisions like this. I'm sure things get questioned on these public-facing apps all the time. But at the end of the day, the business gets what the business wants. Inevitably, we don't have the final say on it, even if/when we push back. And we definitely do.

We should be holding the execs and business leaders that are making these stupid decisions accountable.