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Think about it: Who defines the quality standard? Not the do-it- yourself, inventive, lower-income and limited-education class. Are we really being as inclusive as possible or are we focusing only on what we know?
Have you ever been in a setting where everyone opens up MacBooks, but you open up a PC and everyone looks at you like you’re below par? MacBooks aren’t cheap. Community members who don’t have access to computers, let alone a computer that costs thousands of dollars, are already behind.
And the younger generation, many of whom didn’t learn about the design profession until later in their careers, is also behind. Then there are students who have had their craft nurtured since they were in elementary or middle school, who have been exposed to portfolio days and attended a private design school. Automatically, they have a better shot at success than do their later counterparts. Part of it is talent, and part of it is access.
What diversity inequalities must the design industry address?
Many types of diversity inequalities exist, which is why AIGA started its Diversity & Inclusion Task Force in 1989. The 1991 symposium article “Why Is Graphic Design 93% White?” responded to the design industry’s lack of racial diversity. And today, Jacinda Walker, who serves as my successor on the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force, looks at the extremely daunting statistics of racial representation within
our industry. But there are other issues you might not even be aware of.
How many designers with disabilities do you know? One of the highlights during my term as founding chair of the Task Force was seeing designer Justin Skeesuck speak on the main stage at the 2015 AIGA Design Conference in New Orleans. He talked about how his life didn’t end when he became disabled, going on to show his story through a documentary. There are many stories like his. Then there are others whose stories, due to the lack of access for designers with a physical disability, will never develop.
How does design thinking uniquely challenge such diversity inequalities?
Design thinking—really, problem solving in general—is messy. There are going to be mistakes. There are going to be moments when you have to lean on someone else’s expertise, moments when you’re not a leader. Design thinking is not a 45-minute lesson. People who focus only on its base level are not diving deeply enough into its rich overlap of behavioral science, anthropology, sociology, design and business. We need to strive for mastery instead of just buying in.
What advice do you have for people just entering the design field?
As designers, we have the power to meet people where they are, using design to create change with the people and by the people. So use it. ca
Can digital interfaces
enrich human interaction ? Change begins with a question.
What will you ask?
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Photo by Phillip Van Nostrand / Equal Opportunity Institution
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