97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 65. Build a Culturally Reflexive Professional Framework

Monet Burse Moutinho

“What we choose to design and, more importantly, what we choose not to design and, even more importantly, who we exclude from the design process—these are all political acts.”

―Mike Monteiro, Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It (Mule Books)

There are many skills that every designer or researcher ought to possess, but one of the most important is reflexivity. Reflexivity is a critical examination of one’s own beliefs, judgments, and practices during the research and design process and of how they have influenced the end research and/or design product. This concept is often used in the social sciences with the intent to address objectivity in research practice. Reflexivity is the conceptual framework upon which my five-question guide will be built.

As a lifelong student of anthropology, I do not believe that research or design is objective or benign. Because of this, it is imperative that designers and researchers make a plan to address the consequences of our designs and research artifacts. Design and research are purposeful events that at best can make our life easier but at worst act as a vehicle to drive inequality, reinforce cultural stereotypes, and proliferate bias. Creating a battle plan to address the negative implications of design and research ...