How Bad Design Perpetuates Harmful Stereotypes
Specialized solutions for disadvantaged people often have more to do with negative perceptions than actual needs
There’s a rise in interest in designs that have a positive social impact. A number of projects are focused on “designing for” a community of people that’s presumed to be disadvantaged. New technologies for students in developing countries. Design contests to create solutions for elderly people or people with disabilities.
While these are often well-intentioned, there are some potential pitfalls to designing for people with this superhero-victim or benefactor-beneficiary mindset. It can lead to specialized solutions that cater to stereotypes about people.
To illustrate the problem, let’s consider the Dodge La Femme — a car designed specifically for women, brought to market in 1955, and canceled in 1956. The car was pink, inside and out, and decorated with small roses. It featured a fully equipped matching purse that fit into the back of the passenger side headrest. It was marketed with the headline “By Special Appointment to Her Majesty… the American Woman.”
While it’s somewhat easy to dismiss this as an artifact of a bygone era of male chauvinism, let’s also consider the failed launch of Bic for Her in…
