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Meesh Strauss

Professor Dunham

ENGL 1201

28 July 2019

Understanding our Global Roots, a Potential Solution for

the Current Inclusivity Paradigm in the Design Industry.

“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good

designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible...Bad design, on the other hand, screams

out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable” (Norman).

Consider the design of everyday objects. For example, the coffee cup that might be sitting

next to you as you read this… the curve of the handle, how the handle fits perfectly into your

hand ergonomically, the diameter of the ceramic cylinder, the way the coffee flows from the cup

into your mouth so that it doesn’t spill on you. A square cup might be more aesthetically pleasing

to look at, but it is not a very good design. This research is not the difference between good and

bad functional design – rather, it is about going beyond aesthetics and into the cultural usage and

overall global impact. Additionally, the research will cover the following questions; What does

decolonizing design actually mean? How are designers creating access through good design?

These are two key questions to consider when you are observing the current practices of the

design and tech industries. By knowing the answers to these questions you can vote with your

dollar by supporting and using products that put the end user first, no matter their ability or
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access to the product. For designers, that means shifting the design process to be inclusive of all

cultures and abilities of the end user for superior product development. According to ​Anoushka

Khandwala, a practicing graphic designer, illustrator, and design writer in London, it

decolonizing design ​means shifting how we think:

“The word ‘decolonization’ was originally used to describe the withdrawal of a

state from a former colony. Now, decolonization has come to represent a whole

host of ideas: It’s an acknowledgement that in the West, society has been built

upon the ​colonization of other nations​, that we exist within a system of ​privilege

and oppression​, and that a lot of the culture we’ve come to see as ours has

actually been appropriated or stolen” (Khandwala).

Based on what many of us perceive diversity as today in the current design and tech

industry landscape, one must focus on how the Global West reflects on the aforementioned

colonization of other nations. The Global West is maintaining their level of sustained mediocrity

when it comes to creating public spaces, developing products, and providing services for those

who lack access as well as for those who have disabilities. A designer in the creative industry or

otherwise, can use methods of anthropology and ethnography to determine how we shift the

design and research process and position the desired product accordingly. Through gaining

knowledge about the many layers of oppression of indigenious peoples throughout the last

several centuries (that led to the appropriation and later stealing of cultural identities) to further

serve a purpose in mass produced design, is what is necessary to change how designers solve

problems beyond the trendiest, “money making” result. An example of shifting away from

western colonization might look similar to how the independent printing press, Hardworking
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Goodlooking (which functions under ​the Office of Culture and Design)​ is taking matters into

their own hands with a refusal to conform to typical standards of design to appeal to a

westernized audience. By attempting the decolonize Phillipine aesthetics using their research and

findings by working with local artists, they use risograph printing techniques to promote

contemporary Filipino street typography that often goes unrecognized and in turn remains

underappreciated. This example is just scratching the surface of how we can begin to decolonize

design.

Looking at design from a global perspective and narrowing the scope to ‘accessible

design’ (where the needs of those with varying abilities are specifically considered in the design

process) are designers and scientists doing all they can to make products that truly service all

people? With a vast range of design methodology at our fingertips, how does the topic of design

inclusivity come into play? How are designers attempting to bridge that gap for more than just

the global west and the ‘able?’ We are forced to ask, what is the future of user centered design?

Are designers taking into consideration the historical uses of products and their positive and/or

negative connotations across cultures? How has the study of anthropology impacted

contemporary design methodology, and what does this mean for the future of design? Changing

the narrative of modern design practices will lead to more accessible design. Through the

decolonization of design methodology, a further study into design anthropology, and the removal

of the trend focused concepts of designing 'inclusively' just to make products more marketable

and sell on the market efficiently, we can truly address how to design for all people no matter

their society-given labels to include: race, cultural identity, ability, disability, gender, age, etc.

This heightened understanding about our global cultural roots and how those have affected the
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modern design process could lead to the cultural shift we need to develop a better toolkit for

creating products and spaces for all users. This line of thought could potentially solve the issues

with the current inclusivity paradigm.

Current User Centered Design Principles

In the current model for the user centered design process, there are four clearly defined

steps. First, the hypothetical multidisciplinary team must evaluate the scope of the project and

understand the context. Next the user requirements must be specified to move into potential

design solutions. Once those solutions have been developed they are tested against the user

requirements to grade the validity of the solution and its practicality in use, and in the

marketplace. Through various studies of user centered design, the process is defined as and

iterative process, “ ...​that focuses on an understanding of the users and their context in all stages

of design and development” (The Interaction Design Foundation).

Fig 1. An illustration of the four main steps of the user centered design process that should be repeated over and over again until the results are
proven satisfactory upon various levels of testing (The Interaction Design Foundation).

“The aim of the (User Centered Design) process is to capture and address the ​whole​ user

experience. Therefore, your design team should include professionals from across multiple
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disciplines (e.g., ethnographers, psychologists, software and hardware engineers)...” (The

Interaction Design Foundation).

In the short documentary by Microsoft titled,​ Inclusive​ (2016) a young design strategist

named Mike is presented with the task of designing something for his grandmother. After close

consideration of what she needs, Mike is able to develop a strategy for her to have her desired

companionship in her retirement while she sews. Mike’s grandmother worked in a factory for

many years in Greece and longs for the sound of her friends’ sewing machines whirring

alongside her. Mike used user centered design principles to make a contraption to emulate the

sounds of her friends sewing machines to tap alongside her while she works. This small project

for his grandmother can be regarded as a beta test for designing for the elderly using proper

research techniques as well as designing with empathy. Of course, since this project is solely

based on her life and needs, this would not be very profitable in the global marketplace.

Designing for inclusivity stretches the role of the designer. Mike, the grandson and designer of

this project knows this, and upon the conclusion of his project mentions the validity of having

the human at the epicenter of the design process, “But if you start with a person, then this really

amazing things happens where they dictate the technology. ...you arrive at a point where the

technology and the person feel so close and so intimate that you don’t actually see the

technology at all anymore” (Inclusive the Film, 2016). This example of designing for an elderly

person can aid design practitioners in any field to consider how to design for a vast range of

ages. By considering many cultures, ages, ethnicities, etc. the gap between humanity and how we

design will begin to disintegrate as products and services will come to serve all people.
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Through the Designer’s Lens

Margaret Andersen is a ​freelance graphic designer and design critic currently working in

Los Angeles. She received her MFA in Design from the California Institute of the Arts and has

recently written for several publications to include: ​Wired, Bitch Magazine, Smudge,​ and ​The

Dieline.​ In a recent piece for ​AIGA: Eye on Design​, she questions the validity of having a divide

between mundane design and designing for accessibility. Throughout the piece she references

the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum’s exhibition of “Access + Accessibility” and the

importance of having accessible graphic design, not just industrial design, to provide access to

products and services. She writes:

“...​Access + Ability​ demonstrates that graphic design has been integral to creating

a greater awareness of accessible design and communicating the diverse

experiences of disability. Just look toward books that visualize what it’s like to be

Dyslexic, the interface design of apps that assist the visually impaired, and even

the graphic design of the exhibit itself” (Andersen).

She not only introduces a wonderful exhibit that showcases modern design for inclusivity, but

also discusses how (specifically graphic) designers continue to advance within the world of

designing for a wide range of abilities. Graphic design has been making appeals to serve more

audiences by having more legible typefaces, improved reading programs for those with reading

disabilities, and varying type sizes depending on the distance one might be from the text.

Andersen also highlights the work of Mayaan Ziv in this piece, Ziv is a recent recipient of the

David C. Onley Leadership in Accessibility Award, and a strong business-woman with muscular

dystrophy who has proven to be a leader in the field of inclusive design through the development
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and successful launch of her app, AccessNow, which allows people to give reviews and rate the

accessibility level of public spaces such as restaurants/schools/bars/etc. for the disabled. This

design solution highlights the shocking fact that there is a lack of knowledge in the design

community about inclusivity in terms of designing for disability, and furthermore to the global

community that desperately needs education on the needs of others that do not have the same

physical opportunities that they might have access to, and how they can provide for those needs

on a daily basis. Below is a snapshot of what Access Now looks like on a mobile device.

Fig 2. Screenshots of the AccessNow app designed my Mayaan Ziv. The app is designed to bring awareness to the lack of accessible public
spaces and further promote the need for better, more inclusive design.

Going beyond the scope of people with disabilities into a conversation about social

justice and how racial prejudices have affected design... Latetia Wolff, a former creative

strategist for AIGA and a cultural engineer ​has overseen many social justice programs and

projects that focus on community centered design ​interviewed Antoinette Carroll and Albert

Shum. Antoinette Caroll is the Founder and CEO of Creative Reaction Lab which is a nonprofit

education youth leadership program challenges racial inequities impacting Black and Latinx
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populations. Albert Shum is the CVP of Design at Microsoft. These two formidable characters

were interviewed by Latetia Wolff for the Design Observer and discussed their extensive

knowledge of user centered design within the UX and UI realm... and how they design for social

change (through programs such as the Caroll’s Creative Reaction Lab) as well as accessibility.

Their knowledge on designing not only digital interfaces, but also how to design for the vast

majority of people has lead to inklings of cultural change. Projects such as their ‘Design to Better

Our Community’ student program focuses on the history of marginalized communities and how

students can design more community engagement.

By discussing the proper toolkit for designing effectively for all users in terms of

inclusivity and accessibility is a vital part of what keeps designers, designing. What do designers

deem to be their foundational toolkit, the resources and methods at their arsenal to solve

problems? The current system for designing “inclusively” is not where it needs to be, and we

need to work to create this shift. This can only begin with more conversation. Caroll and Shum

articulated in this interview that their hope is that their work becomes a catalyst for designers to

use more intentionality in their design process and hone into the power that they possess to create

new opportunities for many individuals.

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Fig 3. An illustration by Harriet Lee-Merrion for AIGA. We are currently

designing to solve only a few select problems rather than tackling the larger
scope of issues that face us today.

A Closer Look at Design Anthropology

In its essence, design anthropology is simply the study and research of symbolic

meanings and the history behind the functionality of products that have affected society to

impact future concepts. It looks to the past to mold the future by combining classic methods of

design research like surveys/questionnaires with anthropological practices and theories.

According to Christina Wasson, a professor of Anthropology at the University of North Texas,

design anthropology means taking the practices of anthropologists and using their methods to

compliment the work of designers and design teams to learn about the everyday, to grow from

“forms of sociality” and to develop products that will be meaningful for their intended users.

Design anthropology remains a new and evolving practice that still hasn’t become a form

of mainstream study. Ethnography in design was an up and coming topic in the 60s and 70s
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when researchers began to analyze and critique how citizens casually interacted with products.

This was also in part due to technology being available to more people. Ethnographers began to

question how different populations use products, who make up the various populations, and how

do they respond to the products? It remains one of the younger practices in comparison to other

contemporary research methods. The results of these ethnographic studies have proven to be

extremely valuable for the present and future of product development. This topic is very

scientific in its process because of its objectivity based on the subjects’ characteristics,

likes/dislikes, and even the patterns of human interaction. By taking an objective approach to the

topic, the scientific analysis of the intersection between design and humanity becomes a tool in

the developing toolbox for future design. How these interactions have evolved throughout

history provides insight to how we have developed in our relationship to materials and with one

another.. Taking a deep dive into what pulls an individual towards one material object over

another has led to more scientific discovery. This means that the future of design must become

dependent on shifting the design process to be guided by anthropological methods that will in

turn create better products that serve (at its core) humanity’s most basic needs without the ‘fluff’

of trends. If we use these scientific methods to design, it will lead to making fewer but better

designed products that are not colonized by western values, but are actually rooted in human

behaviors and abilities.

Designing Beyond Inclusivity and Access

A portion of the study titled, ​Studies in Health Technology and Informatics Transforming

Our World Through Design, Diversity and Education​ describes a new approach to design with a
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more intentionally empathetic method: “Most products are developed while adapting to

requirements from industrial production and logistics. ...we suggest focusing on those who put

the strongest demands on the final solution. They cannot compensate for bad design solutions

and are thereby, like sniffing dogs, guiding designers to meet peoples’ needs” (Lorentzen). This

article was written by Lena Lorentzen, one of the heads of the Design Department at

Mid-Sweden University. This study highlights a portion of a design workshop to teach design

students in Sweden how to approach design problems in innovative ways. But, how can

designing with empathy truly be measured? This case study uses a designed toolkit of methods

for innovation versus a simple redesign, these methods combined with “expert users” as their test

subjects provides evidence that using empathy in the design process is crucial in designing for all

people (and providing for the majority of needs that face humanity today.) The students had to

use VR technology, altered gloves, various types of glasses to affect their sight, and other tools

to simulate what their subject’s limitations are due to disabilities. After days of testing,

re-testing, and building models to solve their problem, they had their subjects test the product

with various focus groups. Although it’s not a numerical test, what proves to be true is the

effectiveness that designing with empathy has on developing products that solve real, current

problems. Lorentzen describes how her students felt about the new experience of empathetic

modelling, ‘“The overall experience of the empathic modelling workshop was that “It was very

interesting. It gave a great understanding.” They all expressed that they had gained new insights

and questioned their former overarching view of design “You got an insight, as well as when the

expert users visited. You saw how they struggled but you did not understand the feeling until
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now. It´s as you often do when you design things, you think you know but you actually don't

have a clue”.’

Conclusion

Lorentzen describes the power designers have as well as the limitations of design. In her

workshop she stresses that the course is meant to teach students about designing for the copious

communities in our world that must be designed for, and with intention. “Being a designer brings

power to augment and open new opportunities, but it is also important to realise that design can

limit opportunities and force people into a vulnerable position. The main result of the course was

that the students got an insight that it is possible to design a product that meets human diversity

and that it is the designer’s responsibility to cater for inclusion, and not the user who should

adjust to poor design solutions” (Lorentzen). Design has a lot of power behind it. It’s time to

shift towards using those powers for good and developing products that help humanity more than

just meeting the bottom dollar. Although completely removing colonized design principles might

not be the immediate solution (it would also be extremely difficult to do all at once), beginning

to gradually shift towards decolonizing our design education will result in a greater appreciation

for our global roots and for the designs that have a greater social and cultural impact. Including

more empathetic modelling as well as a shift in how western culture has affected the global

design landscape, will improve design practices to become just a small measurable amount better

than mediocre (where we are now in terms of designing for all users) and furthermore, change

how we interact with one another. This will create a more accessible environment for future

generations.
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“....accessibility standards and inclusive design best practices show that there is a way forward

when both known and unknown barriers are found” (​Mismatch Admin, et al.​).

Works Cited

“Inclusive the Film (2016).” ​Microsoft​,

www.microsoft.com/videoplayer/embed/0f59da08-b788-45ef-8b55-04366f6fdf68?autopla
y=true&loop=false&market=en-us&playFullScreen=true​.

Khandwala, Anoushka​. “What Does It Mean to Decolonize Design?” ​Eye on Design​, 3 June
2019, eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-design/.

Lorentzen, Lena. “Bringing Human Diversity into Design Processes through Empathic
Modelling.” ​Studies in Health Technology and Informatics Transforming Our World
Through Design, Diversity and Education,​ 2018, p. 128-129.

Merrion, Harriet L. “​Illustration accompanied an article written by Microsoft’s former design

director Kat Holmes, ‘What we’re leaving out of the discussion around inclusive design’.”
AIGA: Eye on Design, ​Kat Holmes, 26 April 2018,
https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-were-leaving-out-of-the-discussion-around-inclusive-de
sign/.

“Microsoft Design.” ​Microsoft,​ www.microsoft.com/design/inclusive/.

Mismatch Admin, et al. “Adobe Blog: 3-Part Series on Inclusive Design by Matt May.”
Mismatch,​ 20 Dec. 2018,
mismatch.design/article/2018/07/27/adobe-blog-3-part-series-on-inclusive-design-by-matt-
may/.

Norman, Donald A. ​The Design of Everyday Things​. Basic Books, 2013.

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Now, Accessibility. “​AccessNow.” ​App Store​, 16 Oct. 2016,

apps.apple.com/ca/app/accessnow/id1162504545.

Wasson, Christina. 2016. Design Anthropology. General Anthropology 23(2):1-11

“What Is User Centered Design?” ​The Interaction Design Foundation​,

www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/user-centered-design.

Wolff, Latetia. “Antionette Carroll and Albert Shum: Learning through Action.”
Design Observer,​
designobserver.com/feature/antionette-carroll-and-albert-shum-learning-through-action/39
899.