Easier said than done.
Did you get anyone elses insight on this project?
Was it just you all?
Have you considered how that might be limiting at all?
For about three seconds, I was relieved that someone asked this question.
Then, I realized that person was me.
Six white faces turned to look at me inquisitively.
One woman, who looked extra offended, spoke next.
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Terrified, non-English speaking immigrants with everything on the line.
Families who dont know the difference between a usability test and an interrogation.
And many haunted with stories of separation, deportation, and devastation.
I dont need to remind you of the demographics of the designers in the room.
Especially for a demographic whose fate depended on it?
#ffffff privilege
As designers, we find ourselves challenged by the need to understandmostof our users.
But what about those who rarely make it in themostbucket?
The ones our affluent lifestyles tend to shield us from?
Every test has its outliers.
And outliers dont matter.
Why does any of this matter?
the one we live and breathe.
Even our meditation to get a break from it all happens on Headspace.
And as I was reminded by a mentor today, cognitively, we are.
Were all more or less subjected to the same ergonomic and cognitive constraints.
But human beings are fundamentally different, too.
While problem statements can be ubiquitousHow do we fix our cities?
How do we increase productivity?
How do we make healthcare accessible?we experience the solutions to these problems quite differently.
Is your grief-processing app acknowledging how different cultures, religions, and age groups handle sadness and loss?
Is your travel app designed to include safety tips for women traveling alone?
When Nikons S630 cameras were released, did theyassume all East Asians who were smiling were blinkinginstead?
Where does that leave you?
The responsibility of all designers
Can you design for someone you dont know?
it’s possible for you to, you have, you do, and you will.
That part of designing will never go away.
We have the real privilege of being able to help facilitate peoples lives the way we do.
It matters how we imagine.
It plots a course through the design process, a path that is wrought with consequence.
If we only observe and imagine those who resemble ourselves, then what we call empathy is merely introspection.
The majority of designers are white.
There is a privileged ouroboros of customer empathy that leaves so many others out of the loop.
Awakening to privilege is often framed as an irreversible process like biting an apple.
But woke is not a permanent state for those of us in the majority.
Privilege is a poppy field.
Its impossible to witness the way your own snoring prevents others from sleeping.
She is passionate about design for good, Taco Bell, and really bad dad jokes.
