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TYPOGRAPHY
TYPOGRAPHY
Identity Inclusion
Research + Strategy | Fall 2021—Spring 2023
Design Methodology Studio - with Meg Adams and Matthew Spoleti.
A design research sprint aiming to promote inclusive work environments for all gender identities.
Animation work by Matthew Spoleti.
The problem
Gender-diverse workers are less likely to receive positive responses to job applications, and experience higher levels of discrimination, harassment, and desire to leave their current job than their cisgender counterparts. There is an obvious barrier to gender inclusion in the workforce.
Brainstorming the problem space with stakeholder and affinity mapping, parallel lanes and more.
From this, we began to narrow the constraints of our project.
Primary research
To hear from gender-diverse students firsthand, we conducted surveys of two student groups: at UC and nationally. We followed up with students for Zoom interviews, which revealed struggles with confidence, perceived safety and trust, and lack of support. Additionally, we interviewed two board members of UC's LGBTQIA Faculty and Staff Association and Co-op advisor Lisa Barlow, which gave us insight on the university's current state.
Synthesis
Combined insights from primary research revealed that major discomfort surrounds the job search and interview process, and experiences at internships can vary immensely. This informed a project approach towards education of employers and support from peers and advisors.
Prototyping
With an educational video acting as the main vehicle for change, our framework needed to capture a wide variety of viewers and share importance with clarity. We scripted the video to these standards, and I developed lo-fi storyboard prototypes to test with students. These Miro interactive tests highlighted issues with clarity and arrangement of content that were resolved.
Synthesis
The initial sprint resulted in a set of outreach materials, including a three-minute educational animation, two statistic visualization posters, and a mission poster and postcard.
Continued project development
In November 2021, we put this research and our findings forward to UC's ELCE Equity & Inclusion board. We were awarded funding to continue the research within the university, alongside faculty co-researcher, co-op advisor Lisa Barlow.
The findings from this sprint will be used to propose implementable changes to better the co-op experience for trans* students attending DAAP, and UC as a whole. Below outlines our research plan for May–September 2022.
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