Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
In this Civic Design Community call, we heard from Lesley-Ann Noel, PhD., and Jennifer Strickland, Senior Human Centered Design, Accessibility Engineer. Jennifer and Lesley-Ann chatted about how they approach equitable design through language, frameworks, tools, methods — and self-care. The conversation will cover how Lesley-Ann created The Designer’s Critical Alphabet, and introduce the new book she contributed to,The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression, & Reflection.
Key Insights
-
•
Designers have significant power to influence who is heard and included in design processes, impacting social equity.
-
•
The Designers Critical Alphabet helps designers critically engage with social justice issues, especially in less diverse environments.
-
•
The Good Vibes deck offers positive, Global South-inspired design principles like gratitude and optimism to balance critical work.
-
•
Disrupting traditional power hierarchies in organizations can encourage more open and equal participation in design.
-
•
Positionality tools enable clearer awareness of identities present in a space and highlight systemic homogeneity.
-
•
Framing accessibility and equity in terms of business goals or measurable outcomes can help overcome resistance in conservative workplaces.
-
•
Academia serves as an experimental space for developing and sharing best practices that can influence industry over time.
-
•
Marginalized designers often carry extra emotional and cultural labor not recognized by their workplaces.
-
•
True inclusion means co-creating new narratives and spaces rather than simply inviting marginalized people into existing frameworks.
-
•
Global South design perspectives and international collaboration are crucial to decolonizing dominant Western design narratives.
Notable Quotes
"We as designers have the opportunity to be brave, have the courage and humility to do the work."
"I don’t want to be included in your conversation. I want to co-create new conversation."
"Designers can help facilitate the breakdown of power structures, even if we get pushback from status quo."
"Empathy is a great goal, but sometimes we have to use the stick and provide checklists for what must be done."
"Positionality wheel helps people see who is really in the room and makes it easier to talk about identity."
"People we think are powerless often actually have a lot more power than we expect."
"When you improve accessibility, you increase engagement and success metrics—those are measurable wins."
"It’s exhausting every day doing extra emotional and cultural labor beyond the design work itself."
"Academia pressures us to share research for academic audiences, but public communication is key to impact."
"Critical design thinking tools still have value if we consciously operate within and disrupt hegemonic spaces."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"I put down my question guide and just talked with Carol."
Randolph Duke IIWar Stories LIVE! Randy Duke II
March 30, 2020
"You do not have to go publicly thank the employer who just laid you off. They’ll be fine without it."
Corey Nelson Amy SanteeLayoffs
November 15, 2022
"Customers benchmark your company to their last best experience, often outside of your industry."
Landon BarnesAre My Research Findings Actually Meaningful?
March 10, 2022
"Think of nudges like road signs or exits on a highway, while behavior change techniques are the road stretches in between sustaining momentum."
Amy BucherHarnessing behavioral science to uncover deeper truths
March 12, 2025
"Friction isn’t just annoying; it’s a force that reshapes behavior and can slow or stop user flow."
David SternbergUncovering the hidden forces shaping user behavior
July 17, 2025
"More frequent change isn't always better; good communication and team pulse are key."
Deanna SmithLeading Change with Confidence: Strategies for Optimizing Your Process
September 23, 2024
"Equity is equal outcomes, not just equal access to a bicycle everyone can’t necessarily ride."
Jennifer StricklandAdopting a "Design By" Method
December 9, 2021
"My path into design Ops was winding—I started as a professional ballet dancer before falling in love with academia and design."
Rachel Posman John CalhounA Closer Look at Team Ops and Product Ops (Two Sides of the DesignOps Coin)
November 19, 2020
"Service design is 10% connecting the dots and 90% creating the conditions that bring those dots closer together."
Gina MendoliaTherapists, Coaches, and Grandmas: Techniques for Service Design in Complex Systems
December 3, 2024
