Looking Through an Ethical and Equitable Lens at the Constructive Disruption of Design Interventions

The design research process is a powerful tool for effecting positive social change. Still, it must be recognized that it does not, by default, ensure the development of ethical and equitable design outcomes. Instead, we often see design be used to perpetuate the status quo. The pressure to “move fast and break things” or the assumption that good intentions are good enough are catalysts to perpetuate an oppressive design process. Designers can dismantle this false narrative by examining the inherent assumptions and values in a collaborative design process. There is a growing community of designers focused on framing ethical and equitable methodologies, epistemologies, and ontologies in design. As designers collaborate with the community, the design research process needs a recalibration to develop ethical and equitable outcomes. This paper will discuss the impact of design interventions on testimonial injustice in the design process, the value of developing nuanced design interventions, and the efficacy of determining if a design outcome is ethical and equitable. The leading question for this paper is, how can the enactors of human-centered design implement design interventions at the foundation of the design research process that would facilitate the outcome of ethical and equitable design? We must collaborate to develop and implement constructive ways to pause and constructively disrupt the design research process.