Part of our orientation when FraudSciences was acquired by PayPal was an introduction to eBay’s values. As Israeli fraud fighters we scoffed at Omidyar’s hippie “We believe people are basically good.” We thought we knew better.

After more than 13 years of dealing with fraud, credit default and collections, I know that dealing with negative consequences all day can make you jaded. It leads to responses like the one I pasted above, a comment made on my Subprime Blindness post. It’s like looking at the world through a particularly awful keyhole. You have to have the courage and awareness to also open the door every once in a while and see what else is out there.

When TrueAccord designed the payment plan builder we gave consumers the option to say that they needed a lower recurring payment than the ones we offered. Many clients expected all consumers to click that button to avoid paying. In fact, most people who set up a plan chose one of the options we gave them. People fall into debt for many reasons but malice or avoidance are incredibly rare; affording a payment arrangement is deeply tied to consumers’ sense of self-worth even if we never suggest that. Once we offer an arrangement that works, most people will take it instead of negotiating a lower monthly payment or a discount on the outstanding amount. Had we come in guns blazing, trying to force or shame them into making a decision, we would have scared most of them away from using our service.

Truth is people are basically good. The vast minority intentionally mislead or hurt others; everyone else is trying to do the right thing, sometimes failing, often coming a bit short. Designing for worst case scenarios is a common behavior in large companies that care more about reducing risk than creating something wonderful. Those of us who want to make a difference must assume the best of intentions, so that we can design experiences that capture and amplify them.