Time(s)
Description
How we engage users through usability testing, UX research and design and development has far reaching implications beyond business or social metrics of engagement, including political implications, personal implications, and, in many cases, very real consequences. Who we choose to gather our data from, do our research with, design with, and how we think about who our users are can have a profound impact on our designs — which can in turn have profound impacts on our users.
In this short talk, I’ll ask questions and share some ideas intended to provoke thoughts and inspiration for crafting an intentionally inclusive UX practice, and some examples of cases where centering diversity, equity, and inclusion into the UX design process might have prevented othering design decisions.
Key takeaways from the session:
Attendees will gain ideas and strategies to make their designs and products more welcoming and inclusive for a larger variety of folks. They’ll come away with a list of practical considerations, ideas to test and improve designs and products for inclusivity, and some big questions to hopefully help them think about their design process in a more DEI-centered way.
About the speakers
Ashley Brewer has worked in web technology and user experience design and research in libraries and higher education for over five years. Ashley first began dabbling in web development back in the early aughts as a way to make her Livejournal prettier, but it was during her study for her MLIS at the University of Washington I School that she realized she could make a career out of it.
She currently works as the Web Systems Librarian for Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries, where she provides strategic management, vision and coordination for VCU Libraries website, web applications and online systems and leads user research and assessment initiatives for the libraries’ digital properties, online experience, and associated IRL services.
Ashley’s research and professional lens centers on promoting and serving diverse perspectives in web and systems design and fostering openness, inclusion and humanity in technology, as well as developing scalable management strategies for technology teams of all sizes and limitations.