Trauma-informed? And your website too?
If you work in healthcare or a related field, you probably are familiar with the concept of “trauma-informed.” If you work in tech like me, you may have never heard of this term until now.
I learned what “trauma-informed” meant by talking on the playground with Elizabeth Johnson, an expert on trauma and its effects. Thanks to our kids being pals, the two of us are exploring the ideas of trauma-informed tech and survivor-friendly features. Design isn’t always about delight, sometimes it’s about life or death. (Note: I’m not an expert on this. I’m just trying to get the conversation started.)
Let’s start by defining trauma and trauma-informed. Here’s the Oxford dictionary definition of trauma:
Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
Trauma can come in many forms. Here are just a few examples of trauma:
- serious accidents
- natural disasters
- physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
- racism, sexism, and other kinds of oppression (often persistent)
It’s important to note that what is traumatic for one person may not be traumatic for another. Claudia Zayfert and Jason DeViva explain this in their book, When Someone You Love Suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress. That can be confusing, but it’s important not to minimize or invalidate others’ experiences. Even if you aren’t traumatized by an event, others could be.
Zayfert and DeViva state that research shows that at least 65% of US citizens have experience one or more traumatic events. That’s more than 200 million people — some of whom may suffer from the effects of trauma.
Effects of trauma include, but are not limited to:
- difficulty concentrating
- memory impairments
- PTSD
Now here’s my current short definition of trauma-informed:
Being trauma-informed means adapting both to better serve and to avoid further harm to people who have experienced trauma.
There’s a thorough, helpful, and detailed definition of trauma-informed from the US government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMSHA). Side note: I wouldn’t consider their website trauma-informed. Here’s screenshot of the busy SAMSHA homepage:
We want doctors to be aware of the impacts of trauma on their patients before dispensing advice. Of course, it’s great if a social worker knows what might be triggering for a client before starting a type of therapy.
The same holds true in the digital realm. What if we take the idea of “trauma-informed” and apply it to tech?
If a person or group serves people who have experienced trauma, shouldn’t that group of people be trauma-informed? And any website they manage be trauma-informed also?
This is relevant for organizations serving people who’ve experienced any kind of trauma. I’m looking at you non-profits, hospitals, schools, healthcare companies, therapists, and many others.
Think of some of the best websites you visit. Many high-quality websites feel human, authentic, and helpful. For example, I like the website of the nonprofit charity: water. The company MailChimp also has a great, user-friendly website.
These websites reflect the groups of people behind it. Apps and other technology also reflect values and characteristics of the people who make and support them.
The first experience someone may have with your organization may likely be through your website. There you will set the first impression. Ideally, you give a sense of empowerment and hope. If you are a service organization, you reassure your website visitor that help is available. You assure them that spending time on your website is a valuable use of time.
This assumes you are trauma-informed. Because if you aren’t trauma-informed, you might just be overwhelming or frustrating your visitors. You could be leaving them with a sense of hopelessness. Wait, that’s the opposite of what you want someone to feel when they visit your website!
Right now, I’m helping the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV) trauma-inform its website. My work is funded by a grant from the staffing firm Aquent.
Here’s a “before” shot of the NCCADV website:
Want to learn what makes a website trauma-informed? Learn some of what we’ve done to better the NCCADV website? Would you like to know how to incorporate some of these ideas to your work?
Join us for a free webinar on August 11th at 2pm EST. We are making small but important changes to be trauma-informed and survivor-friendly.
And get in touch if you want to talk further about trauma-informed tech! I’m seeking collaborators on this important issue.
