We are designing the future for the average user. What happens to everyone else?
For years, "digital-first" has been the mantra of modern progress. It sounds efficient, but underneath the slick interfaces lies a dangerous structural flaw: Assumption-Based Design. We’ve built our essential civic and economic infrastructure on the false premise that everyone owns the latest smartphone, has a high-speed connection, and possesses the cognitive ease to navigate complex digital gateways.
In my latest article, The Algorithmic Abyss, I look at how this shift is quietly legislating millions of people out of full citizenship. When access to basic rights, from healthcare to banking, becomes a digital obstacle course, we aren't just innovating; we are creating a permanent divide.
In this piece, we explore:
The Design Trap: Why assuming "universal access" is a moral negligence that ignores the reality of millions.
Systemic Exclusion: How the "Shadow System" of digital bureaucracy penalizes the most vulnerable.
The Ethical Pivot: Moving beyond efficiency to design for the least connected, ensuring no one is left behind in the data revolution.
Efficiency shouldn't come at the cost of equity. It’s time to stop designing for the "ideal user" and start designing for the real world.
