Applying systems thinking to our design with Sheryl Cababa
To round off the series, I’m speaking to Sheryl Cababa, Chief Design Officer at Substantial, lecturer, and author of her, Closing the Loop: Systems thinking for designers.
In the episode, Sheryl and I talk about how our design work fits into the wider societal, economic and political systems around us and she shares tools and frameworks for making the invisible, visible.
Episode Links
Sheryl’s blog on Medium (https://medium.com/@SherylCababa)
Sheryl’s LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylcababa/)
Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers, by Sheryl Cababa (https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/systems-thinking-for-designers/) (Listeners of Systems of Harm can get 15% off the purchase price with the code: cababa-soh)
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54:16
Design systems and racism with Imran Afzal
Imran Afzal is a Principal Designer working on the design systems team at Co-op digital. He’s written and spoken prolifically about his work on design systems, and his own experiences of racism and discrimination.
In today’s episode, we explore the ways in which design systems can perpetuate or mitigate racism in our digital products and practices.
Episode Links
https://www.imranafzal.com/ (https://www.imranafzal.com/)
Imran's Twitter (https://twitter.com/avimran)
Imran’s blog on racism (https://www.ithoughtaboutthatalot.com/2022/when-my-son-asked-if-we-belong-here)
UX London (https://ti.to/clearleft/ux-london-2023)
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46:49
Design systems and accessibility with Fred Warburton
How can design systems help us to create more accessible digital products and services, and what are the limits to that? In this episode I talk to design systems manager, accessibility advocate, and good friend of mine, Fred Warburton.
Fred shares his experience with sight loss, and how that motivated him to learn about digital accessibility, and create meaningful change.
Episode Links
Fred’s Twitter (https://twitter.com/FredWabz)
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52:11
Design systems and dyscalculia with Laura Parker
Dyscalculia is a learning difference characterised by a persistent difficulty in understanding numbers. In this episode, Laura and I discuss her experiences with dyscalculia, and how design systems can help to create more inclusive digital products for people like her.
Episode Links
Laura’s blog (https://uxwriting.co.uk)
Laura’s Twitter (https://twitter.com/LauraParkerUX)
Accessible numbers project (https://accessiblenumbers.com/)
Dyscalculia poster (https://accessibility-manual.dwp.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/accessibility-posters)
Dyscalculia network (https://www.dyscalculianetwork.com)
Plain Numbers report (https://plainnumbers.org.uk/why-we-exist)
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47:56
Design systems and trans exclusion with Luke Murphy
How do design systems contribute to trans-exclusion in our digital, social and political systems? What can we do to create more trans-exclusive experiences? In this episode, I talk to Luke Murphy, a design advocate and a good friend of mine who identifies as non-binary, to explore this issue.
Episode links
https://www.lurkmoophy.com/ (https://www.lurkmoophy.com/)
Luke’s Twitter (https://twitter.com/lurkmoophy)
Zeroheight blog (https://zeroheight.com/blog/)
Design systems are the systems of tools, processes and practices that we use to create digital products, like websites and applications. But can design systems play a role in perpetuating systemic harm? Can they do anything to mitigate it?
In this series, design systems consultant and podcast host Amy Hupe interviews guests about their experiences of design systems, systemic exclusion, and how we can work to design more inclusive experiences.
UK