As the western holiday season draws to a close, I've been continuing to think about our role as the creators of the products that often fuel the ongoing cycle of consumerism that is so prevalent during these months.

It is challenging to balance the competing needs of users and businesses with the societal, ethical, and privacy implications that come along with technological progress. The solutions will not always be simple, and the coming years will require technologists and creators to critically evaluate society's relationship with technology, and consider what our relationship with technology ought to be.

With that in mind, here are a few principles I've found to be helpful through years of working with product and experience design teams in pursuit of adding meaningful value to people's lives without drawing users into a cycle of addictive dependence—

1. Respect the user. Avoid dark UI patterns, even if they're capable of providing a temporary sugar high that drives up KPIs. Aim to attract normal, smart, and dignified human beings. If you respect people and add value to their life, then they'll keep coming back (and telling their friends). Loyalty begets good publicity. Don't make people resent the experiences you create.
2. Remember that it doesn't take a gazillion users to create a successful (and highly profitable) product. I've become a big advocate of Kevin Kelly's 1000 True Fans concept over the years. A small number of passionate users is often more valuable than a bloated list of unengaged followers.
3. Treat attention as a precious resource. During the seconds (or minutes, or hours) that a user is engaging with your products and experiences, you exert some degree of influence on the way they perceive the world around them. This places an important obligation on us—the creators of these experiences—to wield our influence wisely and ethically. Check out this compelling keynote address from Sacha Baron Cohen at the ADL Summit for a poignant description of why this is important. Every moment that a user spends engaging with your content is a moment that they didn't spend engaging with something else (or someone else) in their lives. Take only as much of their attention as needed in order to add value to the user's life, and take nothing more.
4. Charge money for things that are valuable. It sounds like a no-brainer, but filling up a user's screen with advertisements is not always the best way to monetize (see #1). To the extent that you can, consider doing away with ads and charging a higher fee upfront. If you must include ads, make sure any promotional content is clearly labeled as such—and when possible, provide an option for users to obtain an ads-free version for an increased fee.
5. Don't be a jerk. Treat people well. That includes people who choose not to engage with your products & experiences. Don't strongarm people into engaging with your content.

Wishing everyone best of luck as we continue to forge ahead and tackle these technical and societal challenges in the new year and beyond.