I have been told that I present as a pretty typical architect. I am male, White, my identity aligns with my physiology, I’m healthy and able bodied, I’m well educated and have a good income…I even wear black turtlenecks. Fashion choices aside, my demographic represents just one fifth of one percent of the population in North America.
If you remove gender from the equation, and fortunately it is become less of a differentiator, our demographic is still far less than 1 % *.
Our world is for the most part designed by people like me, for people like me.
Our world is shaped by our big-picture life experiences and resulting worldviews. With increasing awareness of the importance of both authentic and diverse perspectives, we designers can and are getting closer to truly understanding those for whom we design – that our one size does not fit all, no matter how hard we try.
Consider scissors: 90% of humans (and presumably designers) are right-handed. Although scissors first appeared millenia ago and emerged in their current form in the 18th century, it wasn't until 1967 that left-handed scissors were produced. It took over two centuries for designers (and those in positions of power) to recognize the perspectives and basic needs of those different than 90% of them.
We need help – to adjust our worldviews, to engage and share (or relinquish) power to those with more directly-relevant worldviews, and to directly engage with those most affected by our work.
To be allies, we need to be allies. For designers of all kinds, even recognizing the limitations and privileges of our worldviews and inherent biases is a huge first step.
Once we have taken - or even begun to take - that step, what is next? With our profession, practices, and projects: encourage, invite, and share. Especially for young people with diverse lived experiences and perspectives: encourage them to join and fill our ranks, invite them to engage in our projects, and be truly open to sharing our discovery, design, and decision making - our privilege.
* 0.19% = 0.019 = 1/526
For those of you reaching for your calculator, the math in the graphic is simplistic and ignores commonalities, but the total is sufficiently close for the principle to hold.
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