spostrzeżenie - Human-Computer Interaction - # Inclusive and Equitable Design Practices

Centring the Deeply Impacted: Challenges and Strategies in Collaborative Design Processes

Q: How can we ensure that centering the deeply impacted becomes a standard practice in design, rather than an exception or afterthought?

To ensure that centering the deeply impacted becomes a standard practice in design, it is essential to embed this principle into the core values and processes of organizations. This can be achieved through several key strategies: Leadership Commitment: Top leadership within design organizations must demonstrate a strong commitment to centering the deeply impacted. This involves setting clear expectations, allocating resources, and holding teams accountable for incorporating this principle into their work. Training and Education: Providing comprehensive training and education on the importance of centering the deeply impacted is crucial. Designers and practitioners need to understand the value of diverse perspectives and lived experiences in creating more inclusive and equitable solutions. Inclusive Team Composition: Actively involve individuals from marginalized communities in the design process. This includes hiring diverse talent, engaging community members as co-creators, and ensuring that decision-making power is shared equitably among all stakeholders. Transparent Processes: Establish transparent processes that highlight existing power dynamics, tensions, limitations, and expectations. By openly addressing these factors, teams can navigate challenges more effectively and ensure that the voices of the deeply impacted are prioritized. Continuous Evaluation and Improvement: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of centering the deeply impacted in design projects. Collect feedback from community members, reflect on outcomes, and make adjustments to improve the process over time. By integrating these strategies into the organizational culture and design practices, centering the deeply impacted can become a standard and non-negotiable aspect of the design process.

Q: What are the potential risks or unintended consequences of centering the deeply impacted, and how can we mitigate them?

While centering the deeply impacted is crucial for creating more equitable and inclusive solutions, there are potential risks and unintended consequences that need to be addressed: Tokenism: There is a risk of tokenizing marginalized communities by only involving them superficially in the design process. To mitigate this, genuine and meaningful engagement with community members is essential, ensuring that their voices are valued and respected. Re-traumatization: Engaging individuals with lived experiences of trauma can inadvertently re-traumatize them if not approached with sensitivity and care. Trauma-informed design practices, such as creating safe spaces and providing support, can help mitigate this risk. Power Imbalances: Existing power imbalances within organizations and society can impact the effectiveness of centering the deeply impacted. It is important to address these imbalances, redistribute decision-making power, and ensure that all stakeholders have an equal say in the design process. Resistance to Change: Some stakeholders may resist centering the deeply impacted due to fear of losing control or facing uncomfortable truths. Building trust, fostering open communication, and demonstrating the value of diverse perspectives can help mitigate resistance and drive positive change. By proactively addressing these risks and unintended consequences, design teams can create a more inclusive and empowering environment for centering the deeply impacted.

Q: How can the principles of centering the deeply impacted be applied to other domains beyond design, such as policymaking or community development?

The principles of centering the deeply impacted are not limited to design and can be applied to various domains, including policymaking and community development. Here's how these principles can be adapted and implemented in other contexts: Policymaking: In policymaking, centering the deeply impacted involves actively involving communities in the decision-making process. This can be achieved through community consultations, participatory budgeting, and co-creation of policies with those most affected by them. By prioritizing the voices of marginalized groups, policymakers can create more equitable and effective policies that address the root causes of social issues. Community Development: In community development initiatives, centering the deeply impacted means empowering community members to lead and shape the projects that affect them. This can be done through capacity-building programs, community-led initiatives, and fostering partnerships with local organizations. By centering the voices of those directly impacted by development efforts, communities can drive sustainable and inclusive change from within. Healthcare: In healthcare settings, centering the deeply impacted involves recognizing patients as experts in their own health and care. This can be achieved through shared decision-making, patient-centered care models, and incorporating patient feedback into service design. By prioritizing the needs and experiences of patients, healthcare providers can deliver more personalized and effective care that addresses the holistic well-being of individuals. By applying the principles of centering the deeply impacted across various domains, organizations and policymakers can create more inclusive, equitable, and impactful solutions that truly reflect the needs and experiences of those they aim to serve.

Główne pojęcia

Collaborative design processes often fail to meaningfully include and empower the voices of those most impacted by the proposed solutions. Centering the deeply impacted is crucial for creating equitable and effective outcomes.

Streszczenie

The article discusses the challenges and importance of centering the deeply impacted in collaborative design processes. It highlights how current "co-design" practices often fall short, with decision-making power still resting with those in positions of authority rather than the communities most affected.

The author shares personal experiences of witnessing design projects that excluded the perspectives of people with cognitive disabilities, despite the projects being intended to serve that community. This raises the question of how true collaboration and radical change can occur without the meaningful inclusion of those with lived experience.

The article then introduces the principle of "centring the deeply impacted" as a call to prioritize the needs and expertise of marginalized groups throughout the entire design process. This is contrasted with common design approaches that treat the needs of the most impacted as an afterthought or necessary compromise.

To help put this principle into practice, the author provides several tips and tools:

Building a deep understanding of power dynamics, both within the project team and the broader context.
Focusing on relationship-building and showing up for the communities being designed for, rather than transactional "one-and-done" engagements.
Assessing needs while being transparent about existing tensions, limitations, harms, and expectations, using a "Needs-Tensions Journey Map" tool.

The article emphasizes that centering the deeply impacted is not easy and requires a long-term commitment to shifting power structures and decision-making processes. However, it is a crucial step towards creating more equitable and effective design solutions.

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Statystyki

Finland saw incidents of long-term homelessness decrease 68% from 2008 to 2022 through a "housing-first" approach.

Cytaty

"How can there ever be radical change if people with lived/ing experience aren't even in the room? And when they are, they are not treated as experts in their own lives?"
"When a community spends time brainstorming, ideating, and creating only to be told that the people in power say 'no', it breaks their trust. In design and working with outsiders."
"Centre the deeply impacted: those who are most affected must be prioritized throughout the entire process. Be aware of power imbalances, and ensure that the most marginalized are not left out of solutions."

Kluczowe wnioski z

Why not all voices should be equal in the design process

by Marielle Sam... o uxdesign.cc 07-23-2024

https://uxdesign.cc/why-not-all-voices-should-be-equal-in-the-design-process-cc78b81bd95e

Głębsze pytania

How can we ensure that centering the deeply impacted becomes a standard practice in design, rather than an exception or afterthought?

To ensure that centering the deeply impacted becomes a standard practice in design, it is essential to embed this principle into the core values and processes of organizations. This can be achieved through several key strategies:

Leadership Commitment: Top leadership within design organizations must demonstrate a strong commitment to centering the deeply impacted. This involves setting clear expectations, allocating resources, and holding teams accountable for incorporating this principle into their work.

Training and Education: Providing comprehensive training and education on the importance of centering the deeply impacted is crucial. Designers and practitioners need to understand the value of diverse perspectives and lived experiences in creating more inclusive and equitable solutions.

Inclusive Team Composition: Actively involve individuals from marginalized communities in the design process. This includes hiring diverse talent, engaging community members as co-creators, and ensuring that decision-making power is shared equitably among all stakeholders.

Transparent Processes: Establish transparent processes that highlight existing power dynamics, tensions, limitations, and expectations. By openly addressing these factors, teams can navigate challenges more effectively and ensure that the voices of the deeply impacted are prioritized.

Continuous Evaluation and Improvement: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of centering the deeply impacted in design projects. Collect feedback from community members, reflect on outcomes, and make adjustments to improve the process over time.

By integrating these strategies into the organizational culture and design practices, centering the deeply impacted can become a standard and non-negotiable aspect of the design process.

What are the potential risks or unintended consequences of centering the deeply impacted, and how can we mitigate them?

While centering the deeply impacted is crucial for creating more equitable and inclusive solutions, there are potential risks and unintended consequences that need to be addressed:

Tokenism: There is a risk of tokenizing marginalized communities by only involving them superficially in the design process. To mitigate this, genuine and meaningful engagement with community members is essential, ensuring that their voices are valued and respected.

Re-traumatization: Engaging individuals with lived experiences of trauma can inadvertently re-traumatize them if not approached with sensitivity and care. Trauma-informed design practices, such as creating safe spaces and providing support, can help mitigate this risk.

Power Imbalances: Existing power imbalances within organizations and society can impact the effectiveness of centering the deeply impacted. It is important to address these imbalances, redistribute decision-making power, and ensure that all stakeholders have an equal say in the design process.

Resistance to Change: Some stakeholders may resist centering the deeply impacted due to fear of losing control or facing uncomfortable truths. Building trust, fostering open communication, and demonstrating the value of diverse perspectives can help mitigate resistance and drive positive change.

By proactively addressing these risks and unintended consequences, design teams can create a more inclusive and empowering environment for centering the deeply impacted.

How can the principles of centering the deeply impacted be applied to other domains beyond design, such as policymaking or community development?

The principles of centering the deeply impacted are not limited to design and can be applied to various domains, including policymaking and community development. Here's how these principles can be adapted and implemented in other contexts:

Policymaking: In policymaking, centering the deeply impacted involves actively involving communities in the decision-making process. This can be achieved through community consultations, participatory budgeting, and co-creation of policies with those most affected by them. By prioritizing the voices of marginalized groups, policymakers can create more equitable and effective policies that address the root causes of social issues.

Community Development: In community development initiatives, centering the deeply impacted means empowering community members to lead and shape the projects that affect them. This can be done through capacity-building programs, community-led initiatives, and fostering partnerships with local organizations. By centering the voices of those directly impacted by development efforts, communities can drive sustainable and inclusive change from within.

Healthcare: In healthcare settings, centering the deeply impacted involves recognizing patients as experts in their own health and care. This can be achieved through shared decision-making, patient-centered care models, and incorporating patient feedback into service design. By prioritizing the needs and experiences of patients, healthcare providers can deliver more personalized and effective care that addresses the holistic well-being of individuals.

By applying the principles of centering the deeply impacted across various domains, organizations and policymakers can create more inclusive, equitable, and impactful solutions that truly reflect the needs and experiences of those they aim to serve.