How do design systems fit into wider social and political systems when it comes to gender, and the inclusion (or exclusion) of trans people? How do they perpetuate exclusion, and what can those of us working on design systems do to mitigate it?
I talk to Lou Downe, author of the best-selling book, Good Services, about their experience of trans-exclusion, and using service and systems design to advocate for equity.
Episode links
https://good.services/
Lou on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lou-downe-757a83b/
--------
56:16
--------
56:16
Design systems and accessibility with Léonie Watson
How can design systems help us to create more accessible user experiences? How can we win hearts and minds in the fight to create more equitable experiences for disabled people? Will AI help or hinder us in the process? In this episode I talk to accessibility specialist Léonie Watson, Founder and Director of Tetralogical, Chair of the W3C Board of Directors, and co-Chair of the W3C Web Applications Working Group.
Léonie shares her experience as a blind person, including how technology has created both barriers and opportunities.
Episode links
https://tink.uk/
Tetralogical blog: http://tetralogical.com/blog
Léonie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lwatson/
Léonie on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tink.uk
--------
51:56
--------
51:56
Design systems and activism with Geri Reid
What does effective activism look like when it comes to design systems and inclusion? Why are so many of us missing the mark when making the case for prioritising accessibility, and what can we do about it? I talk to Geri Reid, accessibility specialist, to get her tricks of the trade.
Episode links
https://gerireid.com/
Geri’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerireid/
Geri on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gerireid.com
--------
53:09
--------
53:09
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)
--------
54:16
--------
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)
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