Design Matters 22 | Sept 28,29 2022

I just attend the Design matters conference in Copenhagen Denmark. It was an inspiring two days of talks and workshops. While I listened to the talks I used a note-taking method called sketchnoting. It has always allowed me to listen better, analyze more in the moment, and record the most import learnings that stand out to me that I want to remember.

Key take-aways

  1. One of the main topics was around decolonization. How can we build products that are inclusive from the start.

    1. Some my favorite quotes I want to remember from speakers:

      1. "Moving from awareness to action" – Regine Gilbert

      2. "When you know better you do better" – Regine Gilbert

      3. "Steps to unlearn — 1. Foster a sense of willingness, 2. Pursue the unfamiliar, 3. Change the location, 4. Learn the opposite, 5. Foster curiosity" – Regine Gilbert

      4. "Self awareness is the true superpower. Question everything — watch, observe, question, explore, BE AWAKE" – Regine Gilbert

      5. "Emoji's are important. Change the type, change the emoji" (Emoji platform fragmentation) — Pedro Arilla, Instagram

      6. "Universal design, useful for all people. Why care? Happier customers, happier employees, more innovation, reach more customers" — Bret Schafbuch

      7. "Diversity is getting an invitation to the party" — Dori TunsTall (Guidione Machava's talk). "Diversity –> Inclusion –> Decolonization. Collaboration saves us time" — Guidione Machava

      8. "Hit the target, but miss the point. Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." — Tobias Ahlin

      9. "Accessibility is not the same as inclusive design. Solve for one, extend to many" — Layshi Curbelo

      10. Decolonization vs. Indigetise. Reclaim spaces. How do we indigetise a space? ––> through stories and language. — Lee Timutimu

      11. "Celebrate a learning mindset. Meet people where they are. Social media can be…Inclusive, accountable, equitable for everyone." — Jordan Craig (Twitter CD)

  2. Design systems can come in many forms, even doodles. Two designers Geo Law and José Torre show how doodles/illustrations can be great storytelling mechanisms to connect on deeper level with your audiences.

    1. Quotes:

      1. "Don't just do what you are told. Work smarter not harder" — José Torre, Medium, Instagram

      2. "Keep a library of characters. Takes a bit of practice" — Geo Law

  3. Impact comes from how you present the information/data. Data visualizations can have a great impact in telling your story, presenting your message, and starting conversations.

    1. "I was searching for a vehicle that would have the graphic impact of a paining but that could convey a story." — From Tizana Alocci's talk.

Resources to dive into more

  1. [Book] Inclusive Design for a Digital World - Designing with Accessibility in Mind by Regine Gilbert

  2. How you can find time to design — José Torre

  3. Redesigning racist brands — Maria Fuentenebro and Maria Mimoso

  4. Building delight in your design systems — Luke Murphy (*Lots of additional links/resources in this talk webpage).

  5. Māori storytelling space — Lee Timutimu

  6. Doodles from Geo Law's website.

Sarah Carne