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
"Design ops in all we do at co forma is purpose-driven, intentional, fair, and openly equitable."
Frances YllanaDesignOps–Leading the Path to Parity
April 27, 2023
"I am always super candid about not knowing things. I say, I don't know that, but I'll figure it out."
Amy Gawronski ZuccaroAdvice for DesignOps Employee #1
September 29, 2021
"We think of AI not just as a maker of stuff but as an enabler of experiences."
Josh Clark Veronika KindredSentient Design: New Postures for AI-Mediated Experiences (2nd of 3 seminars)
January 29, 2025
"Complex systems are not chaos but non-deterministic due to interdependencies and autonomy within the system."
Jen BriselliLearning is the north star: service design for adaptive capacity
November 19, 2025
"If design isn’t moving the needle on business strategy, designers feel disempowered and are often first to be cut."
Alfred KahnA Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
November 29, 2023
"Product and brand are two sides of the same coin, tied together through cultural trends."
Christopher GeisonTheme 1 Intro
March 25, 2024
"In Oslo, recently released prisoners maintain the bike sharing fleet, helping reintegrate them into society."
Dan HillStrategic design, slowdown, and the infrastructures of everyday life
April 21, 2022
"It’s really been helpful that research supports design not just in discovery but also in validating that what we build meets customer expectations."
Andreas Huebner Amy Takata Craig BrookesWhat Is It Like To Be Part of The UX Team at Compass?
March 11, 2021
"Craft isn't gonna help you feel more fulfilled, influential or powerful. It cannot meet that need."
Jess GrecoClaiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice
March 13, 2025