Design Justice (10/4)
Sensitivity & Otherness in Design
Today we welcomed Hillary Carey, a PhD Researcher addressing the complex challenges of racism and racism-denial through the materialization of better futures.
Bias and Design
Bias is inevitable and unavoidable- but recognizing it is crucial.
“With great power comes great responsibility” — Innovations reflect the priorities and values of those who frame the problems.
Therefore, design shapes behavior and is shaped by behavior.
We can view it as a cyclical process that evolves based on what is now possible. Rather than designing for ourselves, we should acknowledge the greater sphere of needs, wants, and likes — ultimately, design research is about expanding our views.
Situate yourself in the world: how does that influence your design?
In-Class Activity
Hillary then invited us to reflect on our complex and unique constructions of identity through “Where do you know from?” An Exercise in Placing Ourselves Together in the Classroom (adapted from Eugenia Zuroski, 2020).
- This prompt was born out of the charged and discomforting question: Where are you from?
- A common and habitual icebreaker, this question is inadequate for contextualizing individuals and relating to others, and can reinforce hierarchies of power and alienate different identities.
The “Where do you know from?” framework shifts the focus to a more nuanced, effective approach that takes into account the richness of our backgrounds, interests, influences, and personal histories.
Reflections on this activity highlighted both the variety and overlap in our opinions, backgrounds, values, and motivations. By examining ourselves in this light, we were able to reflect on our personal growth and identity in relation to others.
Design and Social Justice: Seeing Systems
Interpersonal vs. Systems Level
We’ve been trained to focus on individual behaviors instead of systemic inequity, but systems hold inequity in place — not necessarily individuals.
- Intersectionality states that race, class, and gender are interlocking, and potentially conflicting, systems that manifest at all levels of design
The 4 I’s of Oppression
- Ideological
- Institutional
- Interpersonal
- Internal
An example of oppression at the systems scale is the origin of racism from slavery and the “need” for free labor. Certain ideas were encouraged so that slavery could be preserved and “justified”; the two reinforced each other. Over time, the institution went away but this ideology remained, due to the concentration of power at the institutional level.
The Colorblind Approach
The Colorblind Approach pretends and asserts that race-based differences don’t exist, and therefore don’t matter. This would be a nice way to look at it if it were true- but it ignores the realities of systemic racism. Hillary noted that sugarcoating and claiming problems are already resolved only privileges the already privileged by “letting them off the hook”.
This also leaves people without the language to discuss race and examine their own bias — by making the invisible visible, we can assess impact and create spaces to reflect and address these issues.
Oppression
Numerous ideological beliefs fuel oppression — while they can’t be eradicated, an awareness of their existence is crucial. This allows us to:
- Shift the frame from “racism” to “racial inequity”
- Alter our view of problems as individual, rather than structural
- Intervene at higher levels and examine the result of oppressive structures
Upholding Inequity
Designers can unintentionally perpetuate structures of oppression — but we can address this by beginning to incorporate this awareness now. Often the most effective interventions utilize existing resources and frameworks in new ways.
Hillary advised caution in practicing “design for behavioral change”. When we solve for individual behaviors, rather than systemic causes, we fall short. She advised, while still in school with chances to explore and work in a safe space, to question as many assumptions as possible.
Q&A
Some parting advice and discussion from Hillary:
How to implement these considerations in a professional context, outside of academia?
Ways/places include Equity Meets Design, Code for America, and any place practicing participatory design. As this is an emergent area of design, students are situated to be able to really speak on these issues post-graduation. The more educated you are in this area, the more you will be valued in industry.
How to incorporate this into current studies?
As you move through the program curriculum you will have more control over how you define projects, and ways to marry theory and studio courses. Hillary advised that the craft of a designer will open up doors, but these skills will get you a seat at the table.
We can question assumptions, tie in theory, and find opportunities for service design- in this way, we will create space to think about systems projects and step outside of individual artifacts. Anything can be made to involve design justice, if you zoom out and widen your perspective.
How can designers contribute to these kinds of projects beyond just researching and supplying the mentality portion?
By making outcomes more useful, accessible, and compelling to others, people will be more accepting of your proposed intervention.
Make it clear what the opportunities are and what alternatives are possible — when these are visible, people are more likely to rally to your cause and join the conversation. This is not so different from the valuable design skills we’re familiar with: making things people care about and want to engage with.
