Summary
Most efforts at advancing research to be more inclusive focus on methods or methodologies or participation. Though helpful, those efforts have unfortunately not been sufficient for inclusion and we continue to be constrained by stronger forces which go to the root of what research means and the definition of inclusion. To be fully unconstrained and reach true inclusion we must learn to let go. Do we have the ability to do that? Let's talk about that. Join us for a half-hour of becoming undone, joyfully.
Key Insights
-
•
Diversity in research teams does not inherently guarantee inclusivity or counter systemic oppression.
-
•
Awareness of power and identity positionality often leads to feeling stuck without clear action steps.
-
•
Our ways of being deeply shape our epistemologies and methodologies in research.
-
•
Colonial Western ways of being emphasize objectification and individualism, limiting emancipatory knowledge production.
-
•
Indigenous knowledge systems, like those of the iBio people, view knowledge as relational and emergent from relationships.
-
•
Songs and oral traditions can serve as valid research methodologies tied to indigenous ways of knowing.
-
•
Systems of value influence which knowledge is considered legitimate or beneficial, often marginalizing community knowledge.
-
•
Immigrant communities bring preserved ways of being that produce measurable health and social benefits.
-
•
Positive deviance in communities reveals untapped local wisdom that can guide effective interventions.
-
•
Radical participatory research requires researchers to relinquish control and let communities define methods based on their own ways of being.
Notable Quotes
"If diversity alone made research inclusive, then police could never be anti-black because they include black officers."
"Whiteness isn’t about color; people of all colors can reinforce white supremacy."
"Awareness leads to feeling stuck because we don’t know what to do or don’t feel empowered to act."
"Our ways of being are roots that grow into ways of knowing, doing, and methods, all nourished by systems of value."
"In Western modernity, if something is not an object, it is not real research or real knowledge."
"For the iBio people, knowledge is relational, not objectified, emerging from relationships like songs."
"Songs become methodologies—the way you identify who is at the door is through the song they sing."
"Colonial ways of being, knowing, and valuing will never produce emancipatory methodologies."
"Community-rooted wisdom like the Mexican 'guana' practice reduces postpartum depression without traditional research."
"Will you learn to let go? Better yet, will you let go?"
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"WMBE is a certification that requires paperwork but helps bring more diversity to contracting."
Emily LessardRFPs Without Tears: Writing Inclusive RFPS that Don't Scare Away Talent
December 9, 2021
"You have to repeat your message about inclusion multiple times before people really hear it and change happens."
Saara Kamppari-MillerInclusive Design is DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"No surprises. Tell participants everything they’ll be experiencing from who will be in the room to if the session will be recorded."
Marisa BernsteinIt Takes GRIT: Lessons from the Small, but Mighty World of Civic Usability Testing
December 9, 2021
"A lot of accessibility work isn’t just for a small group — designing for the edges gets you the middle for free, as Yuda Trevor says."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
November 29, 2023
"Don't shy away from technical conversations; service designers should map data journeys like user journeys."
Lais de Almeida Maria IzquierdoDesigning Data Services
December 4, 2024
"If I don’t make a dollar doing this, I’ll be okay, but I actually am making a dollar doing it."
Greg PetroffExit Interview #1: Greg Petroff: From Silicon Valley Executive to Sonoma County Possibilitarian
September 24, 2025
"Agents do a lot of jobs simultaneously with completely different mental contexts."
Sean Fitzell Sarah Han Kayla FarrellCraft of User Research: Building Out Jobs to be Done Maps
March 12, 2021
"Whiteness isn’t about color; people of all colors can reinforce white supremacy."
Victor UdoewaBeyond Methods and Diversity: The Roots of Inclusion
March 26, 2024
"Always ask what teams are going to get for free — they’re more motivated if they see value in participating."
Bob Baxley Sara Asche Anderson Sharon Bautista Frank Duran Jamie Kaspszak Abbey Smalley Sylas SouzaTheme 4: Discussion
January 8, 2024
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What are best practices for engaging C-suite executives and physicians as champions for B2B healthcare apps?
What role do small wins play in building credibility and trust for UX in healthcare environments?
What role does epistemic network analysis play in understanding qualitative code relationships?