Service Design Show Stop designing WITH your users! There is a better way. / Sloan Leo Cowan / Ep. #217
Dec 19, 2024
Sloan Leo Cowan, a designer at Flux Studio focusing on community-based design, challenges the traditional service design process. They argue that instead of just 'designing with' users, we should 'design by' them, promoting true inclusivity. Sloan shares their personal journey from facing bullying to community activism, highlighting the importance of recognizing biases in design. They advocate for community-driven methodologies that empower local voices and enhance collaboration, ultimately pushing for more equitable solutions in design practices.
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Origin Story
- Sloan Leo Cowan's passion for community work started in high school after feeling bullied and isolated.
- Discovering Barbara Smith's book, Homegirls, and later meeting her, led to involvement with a community foundation.
Profit over People
- Service design's current practices, driven by profit, often overshadow the needs of the people using the services.
- This focus on profit sometimes leads to less effective and less equitable outcomes.
Embrace Your Bias
- Designers should acknowledge their inherent biases instead of striving for impossible neutrality.
- Embracing and leveraging these biases can foster stronger connections with communities, leading to more effective solutions.
