Design Matters: A Design Solution for Promoting Inclusion
We were asked to design a solution for promoting inclusion and diversity at the design conference 'Design Matters' in Copenhagen 2023.
We ended up making a treasure hunt where the participants at the conference would be able to collect a pin after visiting each stop. The treasure hunt was called "Quest of Reflection" because it was all about reflecting upon inequality - in general and in their own design practices.
The Challenge Cookie
At the first stop the participants was offered a costume made fortune cookie. Instead of a fortune inside the cookie, there would be a question for them to reflect on. It could be: "How can you ensure that your design respects the distinct cultures of the people that you are designing for?"
The questions were based off the card set "The Designers Critical Alphabet" by professor Lesley-Ann Noel. We had designed posters and cards with descriptions of the topics that the questions evolved around - Like ableism, social injustice, Critical race theory. There was always one of us from the group at the booth so the participants was able to ask questions and reflect on the critical theories with us.
Language Circles
The second stop was the language circles. 10 Big circles was lying on the floor where the participants of the conference were able to step on them and jump around. When standing in the middle of the circle the participant was able to read two sentences. The inner circle would be a sentence like a native speaker would talk, the outer circle had grammar errors and would be using wrong and more simplified words, like a non-native speaker trying to learn a new language. We chose around 10 different languages, so there was sentences that the participants would be able to read and understand and some they didn't.
This exercise was supposed to make the participants reflect on all the things lost in translation when you or someone else is learning a new language. This does not mean that they are stupid or bad at expressing themselves, they have the words and richness of their native language, but can't express themselves in the same way in a new language.
Feedback Wall
The Feedback wall was a wall where the participants had the possibility of giving feedback to the conference as a whole. Usually that is a common practice after a conference, but not all get it done and sometimes you forget things after attending an event. This was a way for the participants to getting their voices heard immediately, some of the things was even possible to change right away instead of waiting until next year. This could also be a way of letting marginalized voices being heard.
