Design Thinking 101 Design Joy + Design Education + Design Justice with Jennifer Rittner — DT101 E84
Jennifer Rittner is a design educator and writer. We talk about design, education, ethics, social justice, system design, and design joy.
Listen to Learn About>> The current state of design education >> Human-centered design methodology >> Important designers working at design's cutting edge >> Designing with and for marginalized populations >> Smaller scale design >> The empathy problem >> The power-design ecosystem
Our GuestJennifer is a writer, educator and communications strategist who has taught at Parsons School of Design, the School Visual Arts, and SUNY FIT. In Fall 2021, she was a visiting lecturer at the California College of Art. She has been published in The New York Times, Eye on Design, DMI: Journal, and Core77; and recently guest edited a special issue on Policing & Design for the Design Museum Everywhere. She frequently writes and lectures about design and social justice.
Show Highlights[01:00] Jennifer talks about starting her career as a museum educator before finding her way into design. [01:56] Jennifer's career teaching design, and some of the courses she taught. [03:26] How design shows up in the world and how it shapes our reality. [04:22] An important a-ha moment some of Jennifer's students had about design. [08:52] Human- and community-centered design. [09:29] Dawan and Jennifer talk about design education and learning design as a never-ending process. [10:44] Technical skills versus soft skills in design. [11:50] Jennifer's thoughts about human-centered design as a methodology. [13:15] The need for a more critical thinking approach to how we teach design. [14:06] Designers who are doing the work of critiquing current methodologies and offering alternatives. [16:08] Something Jennifer would like to see design schools teach about methodology. [17:45] Jennifer talks about her background and some of her current struggles in the design space. [21:43] The concept of "inappropriateness" and design. [24:51] Design on a smaller scale and designers whose work Jennifer admires. [25:03] Design and technology. [25:33] How design often marginalizes disabled people. [27:09] The importance of design in helping the people being served find their own voices to speak on their own behalf. [28:37] Advice for designers who are looking to move into work that is more socially impactful. [32:41] Jennifer talks about the problematic nature of workplace culture. [35:18] Dawan and Jennifer talk about empathy and how it is often misunderstood and misused in design work. [40:30] Empathy and how it relates to people and organizations that hold power. [43:29] The importance of knowing the history of a problem if you intend to design in that space. [44:15] Making the case for systems design. [45:51] Design and the institutions of power. [51:29] Jennifer's hopes for design as it begins to grapple with system design challenges. [55:53] Where to find out more about Jennifer and her work and writing.
LinksJennifer on Twitter Jennifer on LinkedIn Jennifer on Instagram Jennifer on Medium Content Matters NY – Ideas Design for Social Justice Equity Representation Art The Latinx Project interview with Jennifer Jennifer at Montclair Art Museum Core77's interview with Jennifer Sloan Leo Liz Agbu Annika Hansteen-Izora Antoinette Carroll Ari Melenciano Liz Jackson Alex Haagaard The Disabled List Marc Dones at King County Regional Homelessness Authority George Aye Sabiha Basrai
Book recommendationThe Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, by Anne Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesly-Ann Noel, Jennifer Rittner, and Kelly Waters
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