The Equity Mindset

1Forty Thoughts on Designing with an Equity Mindset

A mindset is a set of beliefs and attitudes informed by theories, experiences, and one's environment. Failing to inquire why you believe what you believe, behave how you behave, act or fail to act, is evidence of a fixed mindset, which is a threat to how we advance a more humane, just, and equal society.

As mentioned at the top of the Introduction, an equity mindset is about seeing the story behind the unjust social conditions we see today, embracing the opportunity to solve problems, and centering the histories and experiences of multi‐marginalized communities. If we're going to build spaces designed for all of us, we cannot just build on top of what we have without accounting for how the systems, practices, and beliefs we currently have are part of the problem. As a result, an equity mindset provides agility and flexibility to the user seeking to design a new reality. Here is a running stream of characteristics of what an equity mindset is:

Traits and Characteristics

1. An equity mindset is a solutions‐based orientation that views the identification of the problem and its causes as a necessary ingredient toward sustainable change.
2. An equity mindset sees the history of oppressors as a tool for reflection, a data source, and a measuring stick by which progress should be evaluated.
3. An equity mindset invests in the history of the oppressed as evidence of solutions that are centered in love, liberation, and inclusion—despite continued ...