The Content Design of Civil Discourse
summary
Claims that wording and environment shift outcomes from “should” fights to how conversations backed by concrete tools and results The talk demonstrates design fixes: color choices that give 30% more errors found (red for proofreading) or 2× idea generation (blue); Civil Comments forces 60% of users to edit before posting but fails as a business model; Rethink’s interstitial stops 97% of teens from posting hurtful messages; vTaiwan’s agree/disagree/pass + no-reply design produces cross-group policy compromises (Uber tech into taxis).
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chapters (25)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:08Should versus how conversations
- 3:35Thunderdome mentality in politics
- 5:22History of online outrage
- 7:30Designing for compassionate listening
- 8:10Color and objects in conversations
- 11:44Collaboration vs hierarchy
- 12:49Race and identity conversations
- 16:21Problem with bureaucratic correctness
- 18:07Celebrating good behavior
- 18:50Using interrupters for comments
- 20:15Rethink tool for social media
- 21:17Question design for inclusion
- 23:27Online vs in-person conversations
- 24:33Tools for virtual meetings
- 25:14Encouraging vulnerability in chat
- 26:38The ideate button
- 26:59Eight-up exercise
- 29:47V-Taiwan consensus
- 33:58Wisdom over winners
- 35:01Bandwagon effect in discourse
- 36:25Reducing bias in feedback
- 37:28Case study: Budget meeting redesign
- 43:43Three rules for conversations
- 44:47Closing remarks
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