The Art of Accessible and Purposeful Design
Applying equitable design strategies to research and science communication.
This article follows our #EDIYourSci Workshop Series, in which we explore science communication incorporating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We aim to question and critically discuss the ways science communication is done and how we can move forward to integrate non-traditional methods and EDI in our practices.
by Cheyanne Lewis
Graphic by Elfy Chiang
Image Description: Drawn icons of smiling guest speakers Frank Bach, Lead Product Designer at Headspace, and Simone Delaney, Design Justice Organizer. Bach sports a short black hairstyle, yellow shirt, and white-rimmed glasses. Delaney wears a purple head wrap, blue shirt, and yellow-rimmed glasses. The event title “Where X Meets Y: Impactful & Accessible Design for Your Research” sits along the top of the graphic.
To be an effective science communicator, it is essential to understand the social implications of scientific research. Deciphering the jargon and accurately relaying the information is only half of the job – communicators must also consider how information will impact the public. Design strategies can be used to create readily available and neatly packaged content. Thinking critically about how research is presented can help develop mutual understanding between communicators and their audience. SciComm Collective’s workshop, titled “Where X Meets Y: Impactful and Accessible Design For Your Research,” sparks discussions about how meaningful content needs to be accessible and inclusive. Using their respective expertise, Frank Bach (he/him), Lead Product Designer at Headspace, and Simone Delaney (she/they), architecture student and Design Justice Organizer, share tips on the use of equitable design practices for building more inclusive spaces.
Finding a Balance of Mindfulness and Creativity
Following a brief introduction, Bach jumps into design theory. In the simplest of terms, he describes graphic design as a practice where “everything on the page or screen serves a purpose.” When using design to develop communicative pieces, it is important to loop back to one question: Why am I designing it this way? If you are unable to answer this question, Bach believes it essential to do some more proverbial digging. Once you figure out why something is being done, the how becomes much easier. For example, principles like contrast and colour theory are important for creating visual emphasis and impact. Colour theory in particular can be useful for eliciting specific emotions in the viewer; knowing how colours have certain effects on people can be important for branding. In marketing, considering a customer’s first impression of a company is often tied to visual design – such as through logos or labels – and using colours that have a more positive emotional appeal can help attract business.
Another major part of design thinking is focusing on empathy and using a solution-based approach to solve a particular problem. In many cases, user experience (UX) design can be a means to that end. Bach describes UX design as being based on three principles: (1) solving problems through empathy, (2) generating positive emotions through product interactions, and (3) building something with the consumer’s needs in mind. Whether this means ensuring accessibility by using visual contrast, or enhancing product marketability, the goal is to service both the business and the user (or in terms of science communication, the communicator and the audience). And part of a good business model is making sure that just practices are in place.
As science communicators, the art of purposeful design is a necessary skill. When making infographics or even presentation slides, the combination of colour, composition, and contrast are just a few of the many techniques used to capture and direct the attention of the audience. However, science communication is not solely about the audience – it starts with the communicator. Pulling from personal experience, Bach advocates for fostering a relationship between mindfulness and creativity, and he acknowledges how important mindfulness has been for developing strong skills in design. Generally speaking, mindfulness has been beneficial for stress and anxiety reduction, and meditation has been shown to be particularly useful for people of colour who often face a barrage of race-related stressors. Not only is this important for improving one’s mental health, but the process of enhancing self-awareness can help science communicators become more engaged contributors.
Within design, there is a diversity problem. Bach explains that, in order to combat this, companies need balanced teams with people from different social and cultural backgrounds. A project that lacks perspective from different walks of life leads to missed opportunities. When building design teams, there is often a problem with gatekeeping and the idea of a “culture fit”: the first few people who start a business set the tone for the workplace culture, who then tend to hire those within their own social circle or even a friend of a friend. These biased hiring practices set an early precedent that makes it difficult to bring on anyone who does not fit the established mould. Bach describes how “startups will prioritize ping pong and beer over wheelchair ramps,” driving home how businesses may strive for accessible design for their consumer base but lack initiative in making the workplace more accessible for their own employees. Despite diversity being good for business, lack of diversity appears to be deeply rooted within the system itself.
Combining Design and Spatial Justice
Design theory is not only important for smaller, communicative pieces but can also be applied to large-scale projects like architecture and land management. As an Academic Organizer for the Design As Protest Collective and active member of Treaty Lands, Global Stories, Simone Delaney is well-versed in the concept of creating diverse and equitable spaces. From the perspective of a spatial practitioner, her advocacy focuses on injustices in urban design and landscape architecture. To better serve these communities, they explain how important it is to first know the history.
During the early colonization of Turtle Island (North America), there was a transition from what was known as “the commons” to private land ownership. Traditionally, the commons referred to the natural resources shared by a group of people and now also includes shared economic, social, and cultural resources. Eventually, the privatisation of land turned into a conventional practice that led to land enclosures, ultimately disenfranchising farmers. Colonial conquest in the Americas was driven by greed and land accumulation, which was then utilized for cash crops through enslaved labour. Over time, plantations grew in number and became part of colonial landscape design, devastating the biodiversity of the land and driving Indigenous dispossession. The Middleton Place Plantation, one of the most famous plantations in the United States, is often acclaimed as the first designed landscape in North America. However, that historical framing erases the contributions of enslaved West Africans’ expertise to the design of that colonial space and dismisses Indigenous landscape designs existing on the continent centuries prior to European contact. Fundamentally, North American colonial design has robbed Black and Indigenous communities of their shared resources, stripping them of their agency and connection to land in the process.
Given this violent history, Delaney walks us through some of the current movements that strive for better land practices and spatial justice. Landback is a movement taking place across Turtle Island with the goal of reclaiming everything stolen from the Indigenous peoples, including land, language, and cultural ceremonies. Additionally, Delaney talks about the resurgence of the Black Commons, such as through community land trusts that are gifted or owned by the community itself. For these projects, the collectively-owned land gives communities the power to set up equitable housing and projects of their own design. The participatory design process ensures that everyone’s voices are included and their expectations are being met. Ultimately, diverse and inclusive spaces such as community land trusts are essential for respectful engagement with communities and designs that are mindful of their needs.
Science communicators can apply practices of empathy, accessible design theory, spatial justice, and community engagement to communicate research to the general public. Different communities benefit from different aspects of scientific research, and picking out the most important information is part of the job. However, it is also important for science communicators to familiarise themselves with the communities they wish to engage with. Relaying information in a way that is accessible to their audience requires communicators to be cognizant of both historical and present-day injustices. Having a deeper understanding of the local history and how that history still impacts the community will help ensure that people are being adequately supported and that their concerns are taken seriously. Although a lot of work still needs to be done to change the current systems in place, the use of equitable and purposeful design practices is a move in the right direction.
Author Bio
Cheyanne Lewis (she/her)
Cheyanne Lewis is currently a Junior Specialist at the University of California Davis researching somatosensation. Outside of the lab, she is a freelance science writer who is passionate about neuroscience, science communication, science education, and mental health. In her free time she enjoys watching movies, drinking boba, and taking long road trips.
