Addressing power, bias & potential harm in design for cultural diversity

COVID19 and the cost of living crisis have exacerbated inequalities across different cultural groups.

How can designers in government consider risks of inadvertently perpetuating power and social inequalities, which can unintentionally harm groups of people?

Join this workshop to learn and share experiences of addressing these issues, and trial practical tools that acknowledge and address biases and power structures. We also invite participants to contribute to these tools in the future and join ongoing discussions on the topic.

Participant Takeaways:

• Awareness around cultural diversity in a service design in government context, and the importance of considering potential biases and power imbalances.
• Learn how design and policymaking often follow Western narratives, even when outcomes ultimately impact culturally diverse populations, and what the risks are.
• Learn from examples around the world where reflection and awareness of privilege and power have been acted upon well, and where there have been limitations.
• Trial and apply practical tools that can help to address the above issues.
• Take and adapt the tools to fit their own projects in designing services - whether in digital or analogue contexts.​​​

This session: 

• Includes interaction/discussion.

Beyond the workshop:
We hope that the conversations continue beyond the workshop. We invite participants to join us in forming a community of practitioners interested in discussing, reflecting and sharing how design in government can be more attuned to cultural diversity.

Themes:
LocalGov, inclusion, power, unintended bias, ethics, cultural diversity, marginalised communities.