‘It's a sh-- sandwich': Republicans rage as Florida becomes a nightmare for Trump
Image via Politico.

Florida’s social security system was designed to limit assistance to those who need it. This was done to paint a favourable picture for the client – the government and their business supporters. Source.

The new online system was part of a series of changes designed to limit benefits. The ultimate goal — which it delivered on — was to lower unemployment taxes paid by Florida businesses.

“It’s a sh-- sandwich, and it was designed that way by Scott,” said one DeSantis advisor. “It wasn’t about saving money. It was about making it harder for people to get benefits or keep benefits so that the unemployment numbers were low to give the governor something to brag about.”

The client’s needs trumped that of the end users (those who need assistance.) Put another way, this system successfully met its real design brief. But not the brief everyone expects or assumes (quite reasonably) is the case.

As process/experience designers, we can become so focused on improving things and solving problems, that we forget to examine our client’s intentions. We are reluctant to dig too deeply, to question, to rock the boat. Especially when the job that carries that funk is also a sizable one. This broken Florida system cost taxpayers $77.9 million US dollars.

Some clients are borderline unethical. Some are outright evil. Where do you draw the ethical/moral line?

Would you, as a process/experience designer, take on such a job? For this amount of money?

If so, why?

If not, why not?