WDD: RISD Design Conference Recap
Re-Frame Design Conference by Better World x Design
A successful first field trip!
Thank you to everyone who came to the Better World x Design conference hosted by RISD and Brown University! We had a fantastic time heading out to Providence last weekend and listening to all the wonderful panelists and guest speakers.
Recapping Re-Frame
Re-Frame was all about reframing the way we see traditionally see design. This included highlighting underrepresented narratives, amplifying historically overlooked voices, and initiating meaningful changes through new perspectives. We heard from 8 different speakers and participated in 3 workshops, exploring topics from reclaiming language to the tech ethics movement. Questions raised included:
- How can we challenge traditional boundaries in design?
- How can we ensure truly equitable design practices?
- How do we hold those in power responsible for genuine diversity and inclusion in design spaces?
Some highlights were:
RE-FLOW
Keynote speaker Mushon Zer-Aviv, an interaction designer and activist, focused on the dichotomy of flow and friction within design, as well as current events and real-world situations. Zer Aviv stated that while “interaction designers work to identify and work to eliminate the friction and to optimize the flow,” friction can actually be a good thing.
“We want everything to be: faster, simpler, cheaper, less emotionally demanding, more automatic, more predictable… frictionless. Ironically more optimization brings further complexity. In recent years, our bigger problems are not due to too much friction, but due to not enough of it.”
RE-ACHIEVE
RISD assistant professor and activist Jess Brown delivered an electrifying, dynamic talk about her experiences as a “multidisciplinary, multimedia spectacle generator, creative connector, black futurist, afronaut cosmic explorer, and mermaid creating disruptive & discursive work.” She covered her 4 guiding principles, her activism with Better World x Design, as well as her journey navigating and reclaiming predominately white design spaces as a Black woman. Brown is active in the local Providence community and serves on RISD’s Board of Social Equity & Inclusion (SEI) steering committee.
RE-DESIGN
Kat Zhou, former product designer at Spotify and creator of the <Design Ethically> project, talked about ethics in the intersection of design and tech. Zhou emphasized how the tech industry’s “move fast and break things” logic has resulted in direct harms to targeted communities, the environment, and democracy. It is the responsibility of designers to make sure their work is actively regulatory — which means deconstructing capitalistic narratives and enacting anti-racist, anti-colonialist, and ableist design practices.
RE-ACH OUT
If you are interested in an overview of all of the workshops and speakers that happened, check out the event schedule here!
💫 That’s all for now! Thanks for reading!💫
