Design Changemakers Digest

Can we really design for everyone? One of the things that frustrates me about the phrase "design for everyone” or even "universal design" is that it hides a simple truth: you can’t actually design for everyone. Designing for inclusion, equity and accessibility involves trade-offs. Removing a barrier for one group can inadvertently create new barriers for others. These things aren’t always compatible, and that’s where the real work begins. Case in point: Emojis and (Fake) Formatted Text This...

Hi changemaker! A quick look at what’s ahead in this week's digest: Why slowing down is essential for liberatory work, including a deep dive into how I approached this in my own practice Details on the Design Changemaking Launch Party & Deep Dive (Feb 25th) to celebrate the release of the Design Changemaker's Guide and its frameworks! Help shape our upcoming community gathering on strategic resistance Let’s Slow Down Western design culture often prioritizes speed over depth — design sprints,...

Is this real life? If you're in the U.S. — or have been following along from other parts of the world — the past few weeks have felt like a whirlwind. We've seen unprecedented attacks on DEI, USAID, federal grants, trans rights and treasury payment systems by the Trump administration (and unelected accomplices). As sociologist Jennifer Walter notes, this flood of policies exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" — using chaos to push through changes while people are too disoriented to...

Hello changemaker, We're kicking off 2025 with collective learning! Join us on January 14th to discover design changemaking, a holistic design approach for liberating people and planet from systems of oppression.This isn't your typical webinar — this is a mini immersion into how to harness the power of design for systemic change. Intro to Design Changemaking Where Creativity Meets Collective Liberation Tuesday, January 14th9am PT/12pm EST/6 pm CEST Register What to Expect This 1-hour...

Changemakers, let's design a better 2025 ✨ Dec 23, 2024 | Read in your browserForwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. After a rough start to the year health-wise, I'm relieved to end the year on a note of healing and renewed energy. As we head into 2025, we're up against big tides of anti-DEI rhetoric, global polarization, genocidal violence and political instability. This is where solidarity, cooperation and care — alongside the power of design — can keep us moving forward in the fight...

Progress toward equitable and liberatory futures doesn’t always mean taking big leaps, especially when we feel overwhelmed, powerless or burned out. Small actions we take to root out bias, inequity and oppression from our designs can add up to meaningful change over time. Think, for instance, of how a single seed grows into an entire forest. This digest explores small ways that you can start making change (and how a new micro-course I'm building can support you in this). p.s. I've extended...

Keeping hope for liberatory futures alive with design, care and play November 7, 2024 | Read in your browserForwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. This has been a tough week, especially for those of you in the United States or with connections to the country. A convicted felon, sexual abuser and authoritarian has been voted into the highest position of power. The damaging ripple effects will extend widely across time, borders and human lives — there's no downplaying it. This week's digest...

Looking at the current state of the world and the latest headlines may paint a grim picture of our future. It can feel easier to give in to the oppressive status quo to lift the weight off our shoulders. But the world needs your changemaking spirit. This week's digest is focused on how to keep on fighting the anti-oppression fight in "third places." No time to read the whole digest? I'll leave you with one takeaway — join me in the first Design Changemakers 'unconventional' gathering,...

After a 7-month personal hiatus, I am back with the latest Design Changemakers Digest! Where have I been? As I've mentioned in previous digests, I was dealing with some health issues at the start of the year. Healing is a journey that takes time and space. Stepping away from this digest and the learning platform I built last year was a way to honor my healing. I've spent that time... Serving as convener of a co-design experiment that has now turned now into a co-Design collective (more on...