#responsible design

[ohblonn]

Is there any way you could change your page to black instead of white? It's so hard on the eyes, especially at night.

If not, that's totally okay. Just thought I'd ask.

Hello! This is me thinking about accessibility as any responsible and caring Product / UX-UI Designer would do— thinking about your retinas when you’re lurking at 2am.

Now if you access my blog via web, you’ll get a light and dark theme. It can be on mobile or web, in this link

whatever you assume about me, you’re wrong / full-time witch / anti-hero / neurodivergent / writer /...

I cannot change code in the one that I picked from Tumblr’s free catalogue and the line spacing is murky but it is what it is. I need to find a way to change the html code for the asks but in in the meantime we’re keeping this (though still I have to change some things on the light theme).

Hope this is what you needed, anon.

[luis-roy]

We March Again

I spent my early childhood on my dad's shoulders marching. Those were just a few years after Portugal and Spain came out of the fascist dictatorships of Salazar and Franco. There was so much to do. So much to change. So much to fight for. As I grown older I though we had figure it all out, democracy was everywhere, we become free of fascists, we built respectful countries with civilised cities... And it's when 40 years later, I stumble on the realisation it was all a dream. We are again on the streets. We are again marching, the democracies that were meant to last, were a camouflage of a much bigger evil, the destruction of our own habitat by greedy governments and corporations and by oblivion civilians.What do we want?

Last Friday, 27th of September, as I marched with my colleagues at Carter road in Mumbai during the #climatestrike that mobilised the whole world. I realised I am still the 4 years old kid on my dad's shoulders. There isn't much that my dad left as a legacy, but this one I will carry it proudly until the end of my life.

What do we want? #climatejustice

When do we want it? #now

I leave you with the image of this young girl holding this banner at the Mumbai Climate Change Strike last Friday, 27th September.

I also confirm that even though we were a huge crowd of people, schools and NGOs, there was no corporations or any political leader on this march. Apart from my team representing Dr Reddys Laboratories Studio 5B and one more startup in the crowd, we were the only companies marching.

(all photos were taken by me)

[frameworksforinquiry]

"One of the first lessons I learned ... is that our users aren’t sitting at desks with stable WiFi and ultra-wide monitors. They’re often in fields with spotty reception, using quick breaks to catch up on bookkeeping on their phone, or trying to make financial plans after a 14-hour day of taxing labor. This reality shapes everything we do.

Designing for the Field

From field research to design partnerships: building software alongside the farmers and ranchers who use it.

[frameworksforinquiry]

"As designers, can we create experiences that are as human and fulfilling as a walk down a tree-lined street? Can we build places, products, and platforms that open doors for diversion, learning, and personal connection? Can we advocate for intentional design that cultivates community?" – Bruce Willen: In Defense of Inconvenience

[caittaylor]

Visual Diary 12: Responsibility Practitioners #1

One brand I instantly thought of that I believe is practicing responsibility in design leadership is Aerie. They’re a clothing brand that creates change beyond the clothes and profit. AerieREAL is the quote that they use across all platforms, showing the lives and differences among all people. They promote and enhance such a diverse group of people, and it's really inspiring to see. Aerie Real Foundation focuses on the health of people and the environment as well. There’s an influence there to do good, and be good.  As a design leader you really want to not only focus on your own wellbeing, but especially those around you. The impact of that can be so great.

[tru-design-leader]

DMC Visual Diary #14

Design Leadership Lessons

As I embark upon my final couple of weeks as a Design Leadership course student at Georgetown University, it is not missed that I will forever be, both, a design leader and student of the design leadership field. The learning in this course has broadened how I view leadership, specifically through the lens of design. Design solutions show up in any human-centered problem solution you're trying to create and how we, as design leaders, create a lasting impact that extends beyond the immediate need of product/program users.

A few aspects that I know will stay at top of mind will be getting to know who is impacted by the wicked design problems we face daily, the tools available for creating the desired solution and what parameters are in play that we must consider that we can leverage or alleviate to get to our solutions. There are so many different kinds of parameters that should be considered and understanding the parameters that influence what design tools I need will help with quickly designing potential solutions that truly fulfill the needs of those we design for.

I have also learned that I have strengths that I can tap into to create optimal solutions and building a team with varied strengths will create an opportunity for more complete solutions that consider varied perspectives. I currently utilize design thinking as a way to move from the broadest solution considerations to narrowing down the scope of the solution so that it is feasible to design and implement.

The tools acquired in my course build upon the learning from all of my master program courses. I'm so grateful to be in a course with other design leaders who lend perspective from their own strengths and creative identities.

Hoya Saxa!

[tru-design-leader]

DMC Visual Diary #13 "Live life with purpose baked in"

I love design solutions that serve multiple purposes with a positive impact on people who have given their time, talents, and love for humanity. Today, we are hearing more and more about the challenges US military members are having after leaving military life and transitioning to civilian life.

As design leaders, one of the first questions one might ask is "Who are we designing for?" or "Who is our audience?" Knowing who we are creating a solution for and what problem we're trying to solve will help keep the people we're serving at the center of our design process. What is needed vs. what is desired will help design leaders see what is or isn't feasible as we craft our solution. For US military veterans, finding viable work after being enlisted for a time and being away from such an ordered environment, transition is challenging and finding support for mental health as well as employment opportunities and a sense of community can be challenging.

Georgetown University was tuned into these issues as they partnered with Dog Tag Inc. to help train veterans in entrepreneurship skills and how to run a business. There is a sense of community, purpose, and personal & professional growth. From the instructional design of the Dog Tag courses at Georgetown to the design of the logos, and the beautiful bakery brick & mortar shop, a lot of planning went into creating this solution for veterans and the impact has been amazing. Creating a business opportunity for a community going through the same challenges of reacclimating to civilian life is truly a human-centered design solution.

Some of the parameters for this project were things like resources to help build the program and recruit vets to participate, time of course, time frame to launch the business, financial resources, and a myriad of other parameters that helped to shape this project. As the business evolves, new design parameters will come into play. I'm looking forward to watching this business grow and supporting them along the way.