How to Design a World That Also Works for Women | Daniela Bahamon Arango, MSx ’22

TL;DR

Design choices have excluded and marginalized women, leading to disparities in safety, healthcare, and opportunities. It is time for everyone, especially decision-makers, to redefine their role as designers and work towards creating a more inclusive world.

Transcript

[MUSIC] My earliest childhood memories was playing with Legos. I loved building Lego cities, with chips for the pirates, and hospitals for the doctors, and trucks for the firefighters. It was my world of endless possibilities and I was the architect of my own dreams. I can also remember that whenever I finished building a city, I would always have ... Read More

Key Insights

• 📣 Childhood experiences shape career paths and can motivate individuals to address gaps and biases.
• 💅 The concept of the generic masculine perpetuates gender inequalities by assuming men as the norm.
• 🧕 Biased design choices, whether in car manufacturing or healthcare, have serious consequences for women's safety and well-being.
• 👤 Inclusive design should consider the diverse needs of all users, advocating for their voices and addressing systemic biases.
• 👨‍💼 Decision-makers, including leaders in business, education, and policy, have the power to drive change and create a world that works for everyone.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did the speaker's childhood experience with Legos inspire her to become an entrepreneur and a designer?

The speaker noticed that the woman character in her Lego cities lacked a role or function, which made her question women's place in her own dreams. This motivated her to create her own world and play by her own rules through entrepreneurship and design.

Q: What does the term "generic masculine" refer to, and how does it affect the inclusion of women?

The generic masculine refers to the societal perception that everything is male unless specified as female. This leads to the erasure of women from various aspects of life, including history, policies, city planning, algorithms, and product design, as they are not considered the norm or standard.

Q: How do biased design choices in car manufacturing affect women's safety?

Car crash tests, dummies, and seat belts have historically been designed based on men's measurements and bodies. As a result, women are 17% more likely to die in car crashes due to the lack of consideration for their unique physical characteristics, such as breast tissue and pregnancy.

Q: Why do women face disparities in healthcare, particularly in cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment?

Diagnosis criteria for conditions like cardiovascular disease have been designed to fit men's symptoms, which differ from women's. As a result, women's symptoms are often labeled as atypical, leading to misdiagnosis, inadequate treatment, and dismissal of their health concerns.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker's childhood experiences with Legos highlighted the absence of meaningful roles for women, which sparked her entrepreneurial and design career.

• The concept of the generic masculine has shaped our world, erasing and marginalizing women in history, policies, cities, algorithms, and product design.

• Biased design choices, such as car crash tests and healthcare criteria, put women at higher risk and deprive them of appropriate treatments.