Digital Equity as Design

IMD Program

University of Washington, Bothell

Marco, Milly

INTRODUCTION

As designers, we are constantly working to be able to create and work towards solutions that cater to the needs and specifics of our users. Taking into consideration these factors we tend to use various different models to demonstrate where we are in the process as well as to keep track that we are doing genuine design work. We personally have a passion for this field and have used this passion to to develop a personal definition of what digital equity is.

Design Work Is a Personal Process In How We Create Solutions

Like Design, Digital Equity Is Personal In How We Define It

Cindy Atman

Cindy Atman is the founding director of the Human-Centered Design and Engineering Program at the University of Washington. She curated the ten-week seminar, “Dear Design: Creating your ideal design signature”. This seminar originated 198 postcards from students in a quarter, all detailing their personal design philosophy and awareness of design as a topic. These postcards and the full Dear Design materials can be found at: https://www.designsignatures.org/dear-design-home

“… that helps them not just in their work and their career in the future, but it helps them with, I hope, everything in their life.”

Eileen Zhang

Eileen Zhang is a student at the University of Washington studying Human Centered Design and Engineering. As a UX designer, She has a strong background in visual communication, wireframing, lo-fi and hi-fi prototyping, and information architecture. Eileen is also interested in human behavior, having experience with user research to screen designs through user perspectives

She is one of the curators of Design Signatures and has been involved in the Dear Design curriculum for Dr. Cindy Atman. She shared with us her personal background on design awareness thinking as well as general advice on creating solid data visualization. Design awareness thinking as a concept was initially a difficult idea to comprehend and she wants it to be easier for others to understand. 

“Eileen’s postcard focuses on incorporating personal meaning and project meaning within the design process, structured around the ideal project envelope. The four sections represent flow periods and the importance of breaks in between. The sections are shaped similarly to the ideal project envelope because she feels as though she can move through stages even in a single period. As time progresses, Eileen enters longer periods of flow and has the space to add more personal meaning to the project. Some stars remain outside, showing that some meaning wasn’t incorporated. See the back of the postcard for the key and other details!” - Dear Design Postcard Archive

Coming more from a data-based background, Eileen initially said that she found it difficult to express her Design Signatures background in a less rigid way. She showcased many of the various different lessons from the Dear Design seminar and showcased some of her personal postcards that she created throughout the quarter. Eileen talked about how these postcards are a more personal method of looking at design, being reliant on how well the person knew about themself.

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DEAR DIGITAL EQUITY PERSONAL POSTCARDS

Throughout this quarter we asked the students to take steps back and reflect on their personal design processes and feelings toward both digital equity as a concept, as well as Dear Digital equity itself. The way the students chose to demonstrate this with their postcards was entirely up to them, however, must be able to explain their reasoning on how to understand their process.

Milly Card Final.png
Julia D Card Final.png
Christina Card Final.png
Siying Card Final.png
Ramya Card Final.png
Julia P Card Final.png

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CREATING PERSONAL MEANING WITH DIGITAL EQUITY

While we, Interactive Media Design students in university, have chosen to use design as our method of creating a deeper connection toward the topic of digital equity, it is possible to create this link using any other topic you’re passionate about. Digital equity is a multifaceted concept, and such can be applied to many different areas and be emphasized in other places.

Meet the Team