liberatory design Archives

I recently sat down with a group to discuss the pros and cons of emerging technologies from my perspective as both anthropologist and ethical technologist; specifically, smart lock systems. For those who may be unfamiliar with smart lock systems, they are a relatively new technological advancement that uses image and facial recognition software to enable users entry to businesses and residences thereby eliminating physical keys; this technology is believed to increase safety and ease of accessibility. No more misplaced and lost keys, costly locksmith services, and the ease of allowing temporary and/or limited access to vendors, guests, and service providers. …

Ethical AI and Smart Lock Systems Read More »

Join incluu’s own, Dr. Dédé Tetsubayashi and guest Debbie Reynolds, “The Data Diva” as they talk data across various intersections and iterations; a foray into the perks and pitfalls of AI, ML, and data in the 4th industrial revolution, and as always a little levity. Are you team Terminator or Robocop; have a listen to this month’s episode and tell us in the comments.

This month, on our 4th episode of the Brave Spaces Roundtable podcast, I, your host, and incluu Founder & CEO, Dr. Dédé Tetsubayashi discuss design at the intersection of social justice and liberation with Tania Anaissie, Founder & CEO of Beytna Design, and one of the five brilliant minds behind the creation of both the Liberatory Design framework and corresponding card deck.

On this episode, Tania takes us through her design journey from breaking bread and eating hummus at her mother’s table to basking in what she refers to as a “tidal wave” of expansion around good, “equity aware” design.

At first, you might be thinking, what does design have to do with liberation? You might feel a tinge of discomfort come over you, and a sigh of, “Is nothing safe from ‘wokeness’?” You’d be partially right. As our critical thought processes evolve, as binaries and ceilings become more expansive, we are forced to reckon with the pervasive, insidious nature of the oppressive, exploitative, white supremacist, capitalist, heteronormative, patriarchal structures we have all been indoctrinated into, voluntarily… and not. “Liberatory Design is an evolution of the design thinking methodology. It’s an approach to problem solving that helps people translate their …

What is Liberatory Design? Read More »

I was only five years old the first time I mentally code switched and went into another person’s experience. My father was never able to handle the pain caused by the sickle cell anemia I was born with, and it was in the throes of a painful sickle cell crisis that I learned he couldn’t cope with hospitals. Children are very perceptive to their parents’ emotions, and in that moment I could feel his terror and helplessness pulsing within me as if it were my own. During that experience I decided that I had to be strong for the both …

As a Black Woman, I’m Either Hyper Visible or Utterly Unseen Read More »