Summary
As experience designers, we know the ins and outs of how to design for change in a product or service: talking to end-users, interviewing subject matter experts, and then working collaboratively within a team to come up with workable solutions to the problem. The extent of the #BlackLivesMatter movement has encouraged a mixture of protest, self-reflection, and openness to learn. However, many people want to take action but don’t know how. Why not apply our skills as experience designers to approach a small, workable issue that supports equality? Join Denise Jacobs as she and a team of SMEs share stories related to the issue, so that participants can work together to share ideas and start the process of designing social change.
Key Insights
-
•
Racism in design is systemic and intentional, requiring designers to actively counteract it through their work.
-
•
Marginalized individuals often bear the exhausting responsibility of raising awareness about bias and racism in workplaces.
-
•
Allyship is most valuable when it shows up even in the absence of those who are marginalized.
-
•
Self-reflection on personal biases and internal pain is essential for effective anti-racist action.
-
•
Performative gestures by companies lack lasting impact without sustained, systemic change.
-
•
Psychological safety is an essential condition for marginalized voices to participate authentically in teams.
-
•
Designers have unique power as change agents to reshape systems and environments for greater equity.
-
•
Shifting responsibility from individuals to collective, everyday actions creates ripple effects for social change.
-
•
Fear of making mistakes or offending others can paralyze efforts unless replaced with a mindset of learning and excellence.
-
•
Ongoing conversations, community engagement, and commitment to continuous unlearning are vital to progress.
Notable Quotes
"Racism is by design, and there's no way to counter it unless we counter it with design."
"I appreciate your allyship when I'm in the room, but I appreciate it more when I'm not in the room."
"It can be so tiring to be the only one constantly saying this has to be done differently."
"If you’re not doing the work of addressing your own pain, you won’t be effective in helping others."
"Racism doesn’t just hurt people like me; you’re hurting yourself by perpetuating beliefs that deny a greater humanity."
"Silence is complicity. Inaction is support."
"We’re not going for perfection. We’re going for excellence and change."
"Designers are change agents. This is part of your passion and what gets you up in the morning."
"When we start changing our behavior, we start changing the voices and behavior around us."
"Every day is a chance to check: is this how I want to be? This is a long-haul, marathon effort."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"There was a lot of responsibility distributed across teams, and the design team didn’t own delivery pipelines."
Neema MahdaviOperationalizing DesignOps
November 7, 2018
"Research isn't about collecting insights, it’s about shaping how teams think."
Sean McKayCoexisting with non-researchers: Practical strategies for a democratized research future
March 11, 2025
"UXPin is a full-stack platform that bridges the gap between design and development disciplines."
Jack BeharHow to Build Prototypes that Behave like an End-Product
December 6, 2022
"Community input is invaluable in crafting solutions that work for everyone."
Lena ShenkarenkoCollaborative Wireframing for Creating Team Alignment and Shipping Better Products
October 21, 2020
"Our Jira integration will be two-way so you can link design activities to epics, user stories, or tasks."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
"If you work with humans, you work with trauma. Assume everybody carries some form of vulnerability."
Matt Bernius Sarah Fathallah Hera Hussain Jessica Zéroual-KaraTrauma-informed Research: A Panel Discussion
October 7, 2021
"Failure is easy, recovery is hard, but it’s necessary and part of the process."
Maria GiudiceEmpowering change: Reigniting purpose, passion and impact in research
March 13, 2025
"Interruptions reveal things like auto-save that you never thought about before."
Marc Majers Tony TurnerInterrupted UX - Add A Dose of Reality To Usability Testing
March 11, 2022
"Designers can help facilitate the breakdown of power structures, even if we get pushback from status quo."
Jennifer Strickland Lesley-Ann NoelFireside Chat: How Design Addresses a World on Fire
March 18, 2022