Adopting a "Design By" Method
Summary
The design establishment is rooted in the same inequities rampant throughout our societies. In civic design it is especially critical we adopt inclusive and equitable methods to best accommodate the varied realities of the People we serve. Let's spend time reflecting on the sources of our design practices, who benefits, who is harmed, and who is included/excluded. Who has power? What about the key performance metrics our government agencies monitor? Why are existing approaches problematic? Where are the roots of these issues, and when did things change? How do we get started with more humanity-centered approaches? Here are key steps to tackle processes and address inequity, unconscious bias, privilege, oppression, etc. that come from the roots of our established design systems, to invite a method of 'Design By' that empowers the People we serve. Let's leave no one behind.
Key Insights
-
•
Designers have significant power to include or exclude voices through their priorities and advocacy.
-
•
Traditional 'design for' approaches often perpetuate colonialist and white supremacy cultural values.
-
•
Shifting from designing for to designing with or by communities leads to more equitable outcomes.
-
•
Equality means equal access, but equity focuses on equal outcomes tailored to real needs.
-
•
Self-awareness of privilege and identity is crucial for effective inclusive design.
-
•
Participatory design methods empower marginalized voices and improve collaboration.
-
•
Provocative prototypes can provoke meaningful conversations and surface unconsidered values.
-
•
Hiring for lived experience enriches design processes beyond academic or work credentials.
-
•
Intentional gap analysis in research reveals whose voices are missing and helps address systemic exclusion.
-
•
Investing in continuous learning through resources like Creative Reaction Lab and Design Justice is key to advancing design equity.
Notable Quotes
"Designers have power. We get to decide who gets heard, who gets included, who gets excluded."
"The establishment mindset is colonialism manifest in the design world."
"Power hoarding, paternalism, perfectionism—these uphold white supremacy culture in design."
"We need to move to designing with, rather than designing for."
"Equity is equal outcomes, not just equal access to a bicycle everyone can’t necessarily ride."
"Work on yourself. Understand your identity and privilege before trying to serve others."
"The absence of empathy and understanding is causing much of the pain in design."
"Hiring for lived experience, not just academic credentials, changes the game."
"Provocative prototypes provoke conversation and surface unspoken values."
"When the powerless get to speak freely, those in power hear what they desperately need to."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Human oversight is crucial because no single metric like date alone can determine if research is outdated or still relevant."
Maria Rosala Shivanjali M.Research Repositories
March 12, 2026
"Welcome to the AI party, we've got 10 years of research to share."
Dan SafferWhy AI projects fail (and what we can do about it)
May 14, 2025
"Trust requires care at different levels: person-to-person, person-to-work, and work-to-work."
Melissa Eggleston Maya Israni Florence Kasule Owen Seely Andrea SchneiderPractical People Skills for Building Trust on Teams and with Partners
December 9, 2021
"We became entrepreneurs internally, doing work across other GE divisions to generate funding."
Discussion
June 9, 2017
"What if you get a notification when you drive into a dealership and all your details are ready?"
Satyam KantamneniDo You Have an Experience Vision?
March 23, 2023
"In fourth order design, the designer steps back and becomes a facilitator of discussions among others."
Richard BuchananCreativity and Principles in the Flourishing Enterprise
June 15, 2018
"Learning as you go is necessary; you won’t complete all your learning before completing a project."
Victor M. GonzalezPracticing Learners and Learning Practitioners
March 10, 2021
"The PURE method measures usability by scoring cognitive load and friction at each step of fundamental user tasks."
Christian RohrerResearch Operations at Scale
November 7, 2017
"Investing in individual pet projects really can take so many amazing shapes and cost the company very little."
Michelle MorrisonCulture Design
May 21, 2020
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What lessons did Articulate's team learn about managing ambiguity and ownership in AI-assisted workflows?
Why is it important to maintain human problem-solving skills despite AI’s assistance?
How can non-engineers overcome fears and gaps when interacting with engineering codebases for the first time?