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Summary
Trauma is a pervasive, universal experience – no less than 75% of the world’s population and 90% of Americans report experiencing at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, with four or more being the norm. There are 11 types of trauma, including individual, interpersonal, collective, and historical experiences like cancer, abuse, racial discrimination, and war. It is also experienced second-hand when someone witnesses or hears about another’s traumatic experience. Without considering the context of trauma, UX professionals may be missing opportunities to gain more customers and allies. Instead, they may be accidentally harming others or pushing them away. This is especially true for researchers, designers, content moderators, customer support workers, and others directly interacting with users and their experiences. Is your work recreating the dynamics of abuse? And could you be harming not just your users but yourself and your team in the design process? Trauma-informed technology experts Carol Scott and Melissa Eggleston provide a high-level overview of trauma-informed research and design as well as harmful practices common in the design, product, and tech environments. They give a real-world example of how UX professionals may undermine their own goals by ignoring the context of trauma. Carol and Melissa also discuss how AI and emerging tech could be trauma-informed from conception. Gain a trauma-informed perspective to improve your work and receive resources for further learning. Takeaways Develop an initial understanding of trauma and trauma-informed approaches, including the theoretical, practical, and research-based underpinnings. Deep exploration of secondary trauma, why it’s relevant for UX professionals, and how to mitigate it for sustainable careers. Apply a trauma-informed approach to AI and emerging technologies research and design.
Key Insights
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Trauma is a universal experience, but deeply individualized and broad, including types like racial, cultural, developmental, and historical trauma.
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Secondary or vicarious trauma affects researchers and tech workers exposed to users' trauma stories, requiring specific care strategies.
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Retraumatization occurs when trauma survivors are reminded of their trauma involuntarily, an outcome trauma-informed design seeks to prevent.
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The six SAMHSA trauma-informed principles—safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural humility—form the foundation for trauma-informed practice.
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Trauma-informed care originated in social work and clinical fields but is increasingly relevant and adaptable to UX and technology design.
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Tech products can accidentally retraumatize users by ignoring context, such as insensitive content reminders or inaccessible interfaces.
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Implementing trauma-informed design is akin to adding essential ingredients in a salad; all principles are necessary and must be combined thoughtfully.
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Being trauma-informed is not just ethical; it also improves user trust, engagement, employee well-being, and ultimately business outcomes.
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Bridging the language and cultural gap between clinical trauma work and UX design is challenging but fruitful for creating more compassionate products.
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Lived experience is invaluable, but individuals with trauma need proper support and training to safely help others without harm.
Notable Quotes
"Trauma is a universal human experience."
"Retraumatization means when someone is reminded of a trauma, they relive it all over again as if it was happening in that exact moment."
"Trauma-informed design tries to prevent harm and the harm is retraumatizing or creating new trauma."
"Most people live through at least four traumas in their life."
"You cannot have one trauma-informed principle without the other; you need them all like ingredients in a salad."
"Trauma changes the brain—it rewires the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus forever."
"Trauma-informed approaches are like seat belts and airbags for tech products."
"People who experience trauma often feel powerless; trauma-informed design should empower and give voice and choice instead."
"We forget to care about ourselves and our teams when we're doing research or working with folks."
"If you don't have good usability to begin with, being trauma-informed is not going to work out."
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