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
"Participants themselves need to be real humans at the end of the day to get unique insights."
Kate Towsey Basel Fakhoury Oren Friedman Graham GardnerParticipant Recruitment and Management Tools
March 12, 2026
"The unpredictable black box nature of LLMs means we had to zoom in on small problems first before seeing the bigger picture."
Jennifer KongJourneying toward AI-assisted documentation in healthcare
June 5, 2024
"We are a B2D company – business to dog – making technology so dogs can speak English to people and each other."
Kevin M. HoffmanTheme 2: Enterprise Team Journey
June 3, 2019
"You have to understand how the business actually makes money to align UX with it."
Amy MarquezINVEST: Discussion
June 15, 2018
"Pair design is about two perspectives coming together as peers to quickly try and evaluate ideas."
Gretchen AndersonScaling the Human Center
June 8, 2017
"Foresight is a team sport—the more perspectives you have, the better your future scenarios become."
April ReaganLook, Think, Act: The Futures-Smart Design Organization
October 1, 2021
"Only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job onboarding new employees."
Dante GuintuHow to Crush the Talent Crunch
September 8, 2022
"Document your design decisions and architecture visually so new team members can quickly understand your system."
Jaime CreixemsBest Practices when Creating and Maintaining a Design System
June 7, 2023
"Collaboration is key; wireframes shouldn’t be thrown over the fence from UX to design without discussion."
Billy CarlsonPrinciples of Team Wireframing
October 2, 2023