Dual System Feminist Theory and Design Reciprocity

feminist

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Acknowledgment of country This project was completed on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Eastern Kulin nations, We wish to acknowledge them as the Traditonal owners. The territory of the Wurundjeri lies within the inner city of Melbourne and extends north of the Great Dividing Ranges, east to Mt Baw Baw, south to Mordialloc Creek and west to the Werribee River.

The development of Melbourne heavily impacted the Wurundjeri People. Dispossession of land, dislocation, frontier clashes and introduced diseases led to a dramatic decline in the population. Despite the effects of colonization, Aboriginal people and culture survived and the strong bonds between families and clans could not be broken. We pay my respects and acknowledge their Ancestors and Elders, - past, present and emerging.

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contents contents contents contents

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Research & Participatory methods

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1.0 Introduction into feminism and codesign 1.1 Influences 1.2 Workshop vignettes Healthcare Gendered Universal Technologies Implicit Bias

Three Questions

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2.1 Relationship between feminism and design?

2.2 How does feminism influence codesign?

2.3 How does codesign influence our feminism?

2.4 Reflection

Dual-system feminist theory & Design reciprocity

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3.1 Abstract & Marxist feminism, Capitalism and their impact on Design 3.2 Dual-system Feminism, Universalism, and Reciprocity in Design 3.3 Codesigns impact on Responsibility and Social Justice 3.4 Reflective Conclusion

Future Inquiry

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4.1 Codesign for Support, Access and Greater equity 4.2 Discursive Design 4.3 (title) 4.4 Our Why

References & Figures

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I’ve always been involved in creative areas but only in the last 5 years has design been at the forefront of my interests. I have a history of designing and building furniture as well as holding an Associate Degree in Furniture Design. The driving force behind my design principles are to instgate thought and evoke emotions.

I want to design objects or systems capable of carrying memories, that can be appreciated authentically in their most honest element.

Nysa Rohatgi

Designing through empathy has always been my priority. In the last 5 years I’ve created objects and interactions, each reflecting my zeal to research, absorb knowledge, and innovate for social impact. I produce inventive, speculative and discursive projects, drawing from a plethora of experiences to achieve the best possible outcome. My work centres humans and emotions, each project delving into perceptions, metal health, destigmatisation, inclusion, therapy and sensory interaction, whilst giving due consideration to technicalities, sustainability, and materiality. I recognise the need for meaningful interactions and wish to pursue design research into the same.

Nick Hadji-Michael

I am a Industrial Design student interested in the cultural enriching design that makes up things like furniture, lighting, and design for the arts. I enjoy consuming and creating entertainment across multiple mediums and I like to use this interest to drive my decisions as a designer. To design for entertainment is particularly enticing to me as it allows restraints to be loosened and for creativity to be experimented with.

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welcome.

Berryn Russo

“There is a sense in which rapid economic progress is impossible without painful adjustments.”

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Intro into feminism and co-design

Feminism (n.)

The belief in and advocacy of social, economic, and political equality of all sexes. (“Definition of Feminism”, 2021) Feminism extends beyond addressing gender disparity but also their intersection with other forms of discrimination, like race and ethnicities, age, socioeconomic status, ability and disability, and sexual identity (“What Is Feminism?”, 2021). Feminist philosophy also culminates through multiple subjective, eclectic, and degrees of practice such as Liberal, Marxist, Radical, and Dual System Theory feminism. Despite their differences of cause and effect, they converge towards an ultimate goal - “Building A World That Works For All” (Caprino, 2021). To do so, creators must practice Co-Design, a participatory and inclusive design/tactic which promotes plurality and facilitates a balance of impacts to all. It allows for deeper insights into a multiplicity of experiences and perspectives resulting in an equitable and holistic design outcome which best caters needs and wants (Sánchez de la Guía et al., 2017).

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Influence Co-Design and Feminist theories and practices translate into our work as young designers.

They culminate within design research, outcomes, and system-level solutions, each process deeply rooted within our workshops.

Each workshop was born out of our inquiries into certain causalities of disparity and inequity through the design process and their correlation with responsibility, capitalism, gendered assumptions, patriarchy.

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berryn Healthcare

Workshop designed and conducted by Berryn Russo.

This first workshop was an inquiry towards feminist issues and lived experiences within the Australian healthcare system. The project was guided in a collaborative venture with ‘Private Parts’, an Online community that aims to facilitate conversations around physical and non-physical illnesses as well as creating dialogue around the healthcare issues we have been taught to keep to ourselves. Early on in the project the decision was made to conduct a creative workshop to gain insights into the benefits and drawbacks within the Healthcare system, The method was based around drawing, music, and writing. The workshop activities included: A brief discussion around our understandings of healthcare, Questions followed by a drawing activity, Choosing a song that mirrored how they felt during diagnosis (or other healthcare experiences) and then writing a postcard to their past selves to offer any knowledge or wisdom they had acquired surrounding their topic.

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berryn Healthcare Findings and Reflection To address the findings I initially looked at the tone within each activity and broke them down to find similarities and differences. Participants described feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, and anger, as well as feeling disregarded, unprioritized and vulnerable when medical professionals had shutdown personal experiences and not listened.

The opposite experience, or the validation of their healthcare scenarios, made participants feel empowered, cared for, and prioritized whilst creating access to education and a better understanding of personal health scenarios.

Interestingly, all these experiences were in reaction to physical ailments with one participant observing that “physical injuries are taken more seriously in the medical industry”. Participant’s music choices gave insight into emotional dependencies. Some songs chosen created feelings of safety, comfort, and empowerment in times of vulnerability, Whereas other songs informed times of hardship, loneliness and depression surrounding the chosen healthcare experiences.

In reflection the workshop reaffirmed assumed issues within the Australian healthcare system as well as offered great insights into how to better engage individual health scenarios and create better accessibility. Although, as is the nature of doing something for the first time there are a lot of improvements needed for this to not only reveal deeper insights but also to align with a more feminist approach, for example: The space was comfortable but there were moments of insecurities that could be remedied through distancing participants from each other and giving people more privacy. Also, the idea of reassuring people that their identities will not be on the work that is assessed is important so they do not have to worry about project supervisors making judgments. The pressure could have been relieved off of individual participants by allowing them to recall scenarios, privately within their activities, of experiences other people have had, although the argument that you should only be expressing your own experiences or stories is justified, I believe the alternative perspectives on a healthcare scenario carries a lot of insight regardless of if the experience was different to the observation. I believe it is all helpful data.

Resilience

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Physical & Mental

Negative communication & Unhealthy habits

Prevention

Mindfulness

Communication

Self worth

General check ups Communication Support

Experiences invalid Personal responsibility

Taking action Understanding health issues

Gaining knowledge Feeling validated Friends, Family & Professional

Knowledge Community Communication

Medical professional & Support system

Supporting self

nysa

Gendered Universal Technologies

Workshop designed and conducted by Nysa Rohatgi.

The influence of Gender on Universal design is an intriguing area of study. It beckons the question of whether designs are truly universal i.e. usable by all regardless of their age, sex, ability, or disability. Considering the objects around us, they seem to be created from biased lenses of white cis gendered males, capitalists, individuals with strong sociocultural beliefs of gendered norms, and those resisting taboo, yet they are labeled “Universal”.

In light of the gaps, Gendered Universal Technologies and their impact on society seemed like an apt area of study. The co-design workshop centred around Virtual Assistants, especially considering that they might surpass the human population by 2024 with a predicted 8.4 billion active voice assistants worldwide (Sujay Vailshery, 2021). Virtual assistants are omnipresent, sitting as a physical device in homes, offices, or encoded in technology like our phones, watches, and laptops. Their aim is to to aide the masses, yet they are designed to be females or feminine with feminine names like Alexa and Cortana, feminine voices, submissive roles, and patriarchal views.

They even propagate sexual harassment by responding flatteringly to offensive questions. This goes against the principles of the feminist internet and intersectional feminism. Therefore, the co-design practice, in tandem with the principles, focussed on informing, recognising and redesigning to eliminate/reduce algorithmic gender bias in design and technology.

The probes and workshop activities were design to take participants on a journey from realising the problem, empathising with the issue and identifying its causes, and lastly participating in a design intervention. It was conducted with varied genders and age groups in an online and offline setting to overcome any barriers either may have and obtain holistic results.

Instructions were relayed through text, speech, and bilingually to facilitate understanding and comfort.

Task 1 - Word association wherein participants were asked to illustrate their idea of an assistant in 90 seconds. The time was intended to reflect ones internal biases.

Task 2 - To establish empathy by asking participants to assume the role of an assistant and respond to commonly asked gendered questions.

Task 3 - Enquiry and Exploration where people were asked to discuss the reasons behind the questions asked in the previous task as well as rating them from a scale of most significantly to least significant

Task 4 - Rethinking and redesigning through reassembling reality, a collating method using words, symbols, sketches, and clippings.

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nysa Ref l e c ti o n The workshop didn’t go quite as planned as individuals seemed to refute feminism, and digressed into education rather that algorithmic biases. However, I did try to refocus which resulted in unexpected insights about systemlevel origins and interactions with AI. A few participants also assumed ignorance, privileged, lack of empathy, and submissive roles towards evident problems within society which propagates social injustice. This reflected their deep rooted biases, dismissal of an unjust world (in terms of marginalisation, patriarchy, and capitalist oppression), resistance to change, and subjective feminist practices. I also considered body language as people who had internalised patriarchy seemed excluded. These insights were also essential and cemented understanding of inclusive design, and how we must consider multiplicity of views and personas while designing. It was important to include the privileged and ignorance, however co-designing with individualists and conservative proved to be difficult. Thus, designers must be open-minded, to be able to identify problems and create a better world.

Offline Participants recognised subversiveness of females within society and explored the word “assistant”’ which may be negatively perceived due to condescension of the role. They perceived questions posed in Task 2 as offensive, although normalised, and offered mocking responses. However, participants could not relate to social effects of the “un-imaginable” questions. Participants also related harassment with behavioural and education faults rather than design. They felt criticism was endless, and it is people who must change. Hence, they called the workshop an “overly sensitive” way perceiving the world and an attempt to find inconsequential problems. This translated into their disassociation in Task 3 and 4. The interaction was quite amusing as participants conversed in words that indicating gender binary and not neutrality, reflecting their implicit bias. However, the group did have plural views who believed change was necessary.

The results delved into various ideas, creating a paradox between fruitful, informative engagement and propagation of toxic, sexist ideologies. This gave insights into the need for boundaries whilst discussing a socio-cultural and sensitive issue such as Feminism.

Participants required regular probing and encouragement initially, despite their extroverted and bold personalities.

Even though they had known each other for over 4 years, participants seemed hesitant. This may have been due to the pressure of navigating through Miro, hampering their motivation. Conversely, even as strangers, participants of the offline workshop seemed engaged in active debate and discussions.

The group was extremely openminded and respected each others opinions. They actively engaged in debates and which naturally came to resolutions, through a proposed paradox wherein both statements stand true in certain conditions. Moreover, a few participants, coming from an art and design background found it easier to empathise with the final task of redesigning a virtual assistant as they were conditioned to critically analyse designs for areas of discontent, thus offering valuable design changes.

Online Participants associated assistants with ‘universal’ personas catering to diversity. When made aware of the femininity of current assistant and common questions, they too were aggravated and offered brazen responses, reflecting their feminist ideologies and streak for activism. A few also, paradoxically, engaged with the questions in a humorous manner, encouraging conversation. These responses intended to bring about user interaction, although to some it seemed irresponsible as the humour may be perceived as a catalyst to normalising the offensive/harassment behaviours.

As they understood the issue, they successfully identified behavioural and design links causing harassment and enlisted system-level disparities which it. They also offered creative algorithmic iterations to create a more inclusive, universal, and neutral assistant whilst approaching the design from its conception to use - considering packaging, marketing, and awareness

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nick

Implicit Bias

Workshop designed and conducted by Nicholas Hadji-Michael.

Pulling information from Criado Perez the author of invisible women I found that the gaps in data particularly have a strong influence on 4 industries.

• Safety • medical • economical / banking • artificial intelligence This gave me a clear direction into where to look as well as the ability to nail down the certain aspects of Industry that need such reform. from this research, I came away with the impression and understanding that the cause of all this was the acts of Implicit Bias and that’s what ill be exploring in my upcoming activities.

My focus for my research activity was to develop a deeper understanding of implicit bias and how it affects our understanding of the world As well as our decision-making. to do this I constructed a 3 step process that all worked together to feed off previous answers.

For the 1st step, I handpicked a group of 50 words that had relations to the 4 target groups I identified earlier. there were extra control words and words related to feminisms that were also thrown in to create Variety. The participants were asked to draw from their contextual understanding and experience to determine whether the word was positive or negative.

The 2nd step required the participants to chose a word positive or negative and express the context they put behind the word with drawings. this was used to help me gather a visual understanding of what makes something understandable positive or negative.

The third step was more or so the same. this time it was compulsory to pick a positive, negative, and challenging word and express the reasoning behind so with words and a few short sentences.

In the end, I would compare the answers from 4 participants and analysis the differences of why certain people could see the same things differently. I chose to evaluate a group of half female and male as hopefully, it could show me how two demographics may see certain topics in a different light.

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Results

With a small group, it was hard to find clear trends in the data however it was interesting to see that there were clear differences in how the women saw the topics of medicine and hierarchy with women expressing those things as largely negative compared to men.

Then when asked to draw all participants chose to depict a negative word. the two male participants depicted a fear of technology with the reasoning of rapid and carefree advancement this differed quite drastically from the females more grounded fears with one participant elaborating on her largely negative experience with the contraceptive pill and how she had struggled physically and emotionally under its influence. the other female explored the ideas of winning. and how she viewed it as a blessing but also a hindrance to her development.

These drawings showed glimpses of the impact that gaps in data have whilst also illustrating an idea of “speak only of what you know” and showed the inclination of wanting to attend to personal experiences of your own life. the written responses were great not for the answers but they gave me the ability to ponder with the participant afterward and discuss why their answer could be considered wrong to somebody else. Looking across the board I could see no discernable difference between the male’s and the female’s responses. this allowed me to explore the value of getting the participant to break down their ideas ultimately the participants spoke on the words that they felt related to them strongly. when speaking to a male participant afterward he explained that when he was given the choice to chose what he wanted to write on he felt it was in his best interest to choose something that he was personally passionate about. this in itself breaks down the whole idea of implicit bias and signifies it to be a simple desire to represent what you know.

I believe if I was to conduct the activity with a group of plus 10 I would find a lot more patterns and reliable data that would help inform a clear idea as to what implicit bias is. however It was incredibly insightful to see firsthand a surface-level interaction with complex topics. and how the participants would all immediately look back to personal experience to explain their understanding of the topic. this highlights the importance of pulling people out of the personal experience and encouraging external input and a willingness to explore different sides of stories that you might not have looked at before

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three questions three questions three questions three questions

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lack of representation at the designer level Failures in research

Relationship between feminism & design

nick

Insights from workshops and associated research

Previous design and how it influences current designs.

Our group found that a lot of our findings and understandings around feminism and design centered the Matrix of Domination. We noticed our research investigated gendered assumptions such as women in submissive roles, for example assistants, as well as global assumptions regarding women’s wellbeing. The pressure of supply and demand, for example, the impacts of products we consume and the effect of profitability and capitalization, for instance, encoding female voices because they are more soothing but propagating stereotypes.

All these connections are impacted due to the lack of accessibility feminist principles have within the design process. Aspects of this are due to failure within research and design thinking as well as a lack of representation at the designer level. Ultimately, our group is aware of not only the history, but present inequity’s that lives within the design process which will inform our future research and methods as designers.

Design for social and behavioural change

nysa

Gendered assumptions about the end-users (not thinking about women) Matrix of domination controls design process Use and affordance of design - as per societal norms Pressure of supply and demand + profitability and capitalization

Collaborative Report - Berryn Russo

Inclusive design / designing for safety

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Exploitation Predisposed idealisation of the west.

berryn Western assumptions

How we contribute to third-world inequity and its marginalisation of women.

How does feminism influence co-design practice?

co design practice needs to allow a space for feminism to coexist with the issues that it contends with

Insights from workshops and associated research • • • • • • • • •

Gender-neutral pronouns Creating safe space - debriefing, consent, right to withdrawal, empathy in responses, body language to inform study direction.

Word association - trigger warning. Ensure there is no researcher bias.

Power dynamics - understanding our position in the research.

Stimulating thought by picking up on responses. Gradually bringing them to the main topic Sample - appropriate demographic.

Location to ensure comfort.

Bringing data into the discussion. Facts. Affirmations post discussions.

Reflection time post activity.

Collaborative Report - Nick Hadji-Michael

Somthing we found to be incredibly important was creating a safe space. Making sure our participants felt comfortable and open to speak however fell in order to express themselves truthfully. This could be done with gender neutral pronouns, the location or even body language. Another thing we found was that the power dynamic we had as researchers could largely influence the activity. So it was important or us to maintain a level of responsibility ensuring we brought upon no bias that could effect the outcome of our programs. Other things were the importance of our chosen demographics and whether it would benefit the research to pick certain people that could reflect that relationships of our problems. Ultimately we found that good Co-design should ensure that there is a space for feminism and that there is a space where people can express and feel comfortable with their ideas and allow for influential thinking that can progress both design and feminism.

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The importance of experience The power of association

How

does co-design influence understanding of feminism?

your

nick The impact of words and the context that is behind it

Insights from workshops and associated research Co-design workshops facilitated understanding of the open-minded thought and practice required for feminist/ social justices. It is imperative to consider a multiplicity of perspectives including diverse values and beliefs for a balanced design outcome. Feminism is a sensitive issue and may be subjective from one’s practice to the other’s (Kempson, 2015), thus it should be approached ethically, respectfully, and considering the power dynamics within a setting. As seen through the offline activity regarding voice assistants, individuals chose to be passive feminists, rather than acting upon the issue.

People refuting feminism by internalising the patriarchal way of society.

Conforming and resisting change due to social, cultural, and experiential elements. Plurality of perspectives.

It is also essential to observe details like physical cues like exclusion by not engaging in discussion, looking around the room and/or looking down indicating discomfort or confusion. These indicate the openness of the participants and dictate how we, as researchers, must act to make them feel acknowledged, cared-for, and comfortable.

nysa

We must also acknowledge that words have power and we can choose to instigate conversations maybe through humour or otherwise, but we must be sensitive to lived experiences by debriefing sessions as seen in the healthcare systems workshop.

Easier to talk, but difficult to take action.

Get conversations started - maybe through humour.

Ultimately the group learned a lot about approaching feminism through co-design engagements in terms of peoples practices, behaviours, comfort levels, the researchers conduct - all centering importance of inclusion and holism.

Collaborative Report - Nysa Rohatgi

Subjective feminism - choosing issues one wants to tackle and when

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Power dynamics Understanding our position Importance of Inclusion

Focused observations Individual physical, vocal cues.

Understanding you may uncover traumatic memories or feelings.

berryn Open communication Verbal debrief Creating ease of entry Taking the pressure off

reflection Insights from workshops and associated research Considering our individual researches collectively, we believe that we share insights into the need for inclusivity and a multiplicity of perspectives in the design thinking process. The series of activities and group discussions cemented our understanding of a constructive, guided, and ethical co-design practice and ways in which the results may be synthesised bidirectionally and open-mindedly to provide a holistic view.

Collaborative Report

Thus, we continued exploring the influence of inclusive design and matrix of domination on design thinking through co-design interventions in our respective areas. These were also explored through a broader lens of system level disparities identified within workshops, such as Capitalist and Patriarchal oppression, Subjective feminism and Pluralism, Universality, and Design Responsibility.

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Dual-system Feminist theory & Design reciprocity. Report

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Dual-System Feminist Theory & Design Reciprocity

Introduction The Feminist philosophy culminates in all areas of knowledge to create a more inclusive space for all. Within design, feminism refers to efforts towards social justice to offer/establish equal advantages and disadvantages.

Co-design practices are influenced by multiple feminist, economist, and socialist perspectives which aim to ensure lack of reproduction of Neo-colonial, state-centred, Eurocentric design frameworks within communities; to create a safe space for people to exchange ideas in a trusted and comfortable environment. Feminism is entrusted with shaping design interventions, through recognition, resistance, evolving design practices, and innovations.

Feminist interventions begin with defiance and discontent, of conforming to a usability, values, and ethics of a design.“There is a sense in which rapid economic progress is impossible without painful adjustments.” (United Nations, 1951, as cited in Escobar, 2011) The notion that design aids in the exclusion of people within society is a well-researched topic, and spans globally and arguably affects everyone from the communities of impact to the areas of acquisition. This inequity has been outlined and discussed through different progressive design approaches and studies where the very foundations of design are being questioned both in theory and practice (Escobar-Tello et al., 2021). It is these attitudes that lead to the necessary intervention of design workshops using feminist techniques and values to outline the inequities and exclusionary ingredients positioned within capitalist and colonialist dominance. Throughout this report we will discuss the importance of transdisciplinary design as a means to equity through the lens of Dual-Systems Theory of Feminism, which holds both Capitalism and Patriarchy accountable for reproducing inequalities.

Key words: Capitalism, Missionary Feminism, Dual-System Feminism, Humanitarian efforts, Universality, Pluralism, Design Responsibility, Equity, Codesign

Marxist Feminism, Capitalism, and its Impact on Design The overwhelming impact of capitalist oppression is directly linked to design, due to its product-centric focus, along with a discriminatory and stereotypical focus on human centered design. To contribute towards a more equitable design approach, we need to think beyond these exclusive solutions and move towards social and system level changes. It can be argued that the impact of design is causing humanitarian issues. Clothing design that exists within capitalist systems affects the garment makers in third world countries as these areas offer cheaper labour creating higher profit margins. An example of this is Rana Plaza, A garment factory in Bangladesh which collapsed due to a weakening structure killing over a thousand people, mainly women, and injuring more than 2500 (“Bangladesh factory collapse toll passes 1,000”, 2013). Cracks had been seen in the structure but certain areas of the building were not evacuated due to pressure of demand and consumer priority of duty of care. Dr. Serene Khader, a political philosopher at Brooklyn College identifies the burden on female sweatshop labourers stating, “They’re recruited specifically because you can pay them less than men, and they’re more docile, and they won’t unionise” (Rutledge, 2019). We can see through these examples the impact of capitalism and design on humanitarian issues, so how can Feminist values play a role within the context and what values does this approach offer? A 2019 article by Michelle Lokot, a humanitarian practitioner and gender equality researcher, talks about how humanitarian efforts have become more exploitive in their engagements prioritising data extraction over individual human welfare (Lokot, 2019). This form of engagement goes against the neutrality of feminist values and the notion of being supportive, objective, and equal. The same can be said for participatory, co-design methods and its allowance for unbalanced and oppressive power dynamics. As researchers and designers, we hold a privileged position of impact over participants - “Young people may share some of the most intimate aspects of their lives with researchers; oftentimes revealing things they haven’t shared with anyone else.” (“How to explore taboo topics with young people during design research”, 2020b) It’s the inclusion of feminist principles that allows us to reflect on said privileges and implement respectful, accessible and ultimately equitable experiences. If design is a catalyst of oppressive capitalist systems, then there has never been a greater need for feminist values to influence greater equity and counter the impact of marginalisation.

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Dual-System Feminist Theory & Design Reciprocity

Dual-System Feminism, Universalism, and Reciprocity in Design Dual-System Theory Feminism outlines the impact of both capitalism and patriarchy towards furthering males and social injustices (“4 Different types of Feminism - The Sociological Mail”, 2018). Social injustice culminates in design by assimilation of negative outcomes for personal gain through a system of control, law, order, and pursuit of profit . Within such a society, design becomes an opportunist by including, or rather assimilating, marginalised communities considering universality, profitability and convenience.

Universality is not always positive. Whilst designers and capitalists portray themselves as socially responsible for expanding their target market to women and marginalised communities, they acculturate the negative outcomes.

This was evident when a phrase, “Torches of Freedom” (Murphree, 2015) was employed to encourage women’s smoking by exploiting their struggles towards social equity during the first-wave feminism. The cigarettes became a symbol of emancipation. This movement also provided insights into the Foucault theory of power and knowledge, which determines power dynamics in shaping society. The designers of the movement, being at a position of assumed authority, chose exploitation due to convenience and profitability without reflecting on its political, educational, health and welfare implications. The awareness of the same is garnered through feminist education and values, which encourage individuals to partake in reflexivity (Wickramasinghe, 2010, as cited in Lokot, 2019); a practice to recognise one’s own implicit biases and research process in an informed and ethical manner, to reduce reciprocity of negative outcomes. Reflexivity also aides in establishing empathy and sensitivity towards diversity by recognising disparities caused by socio-political labelling, leading to missionary feminism, humanitarianism, and imposition of western feminist theories i.e. assimilation.

Universality in itself seems like a negative outcome, a label which enforces the idea of exclusion of anyone falling outside the usability/need/scope. This beckons the question, to what extent can we consider a system universal i.e. relating to and done by all (“Universal adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes”, 2021) regardless of ability and disability?. Considering the theory of pluralism, a philosophy outlining the coexistence of paradoxical and/or diverse entities (Boyd, 2006), universality seems like a false/far-fetched notion. For instance, one would think that a virtual assistant must cater to everyone’s needs and values. Yet, through co-design workshops about data collection and genderless universal technologies, binaries, biases, and exclusion were observed in their use and make. The AI perpetuates female submissiveness by assuming feminine names and voices, and discriminates between ethnicities and accents with its faulty voice recognition. Moreover, research also stated that it was created by a white cis-gendered male (“The Exec Behind Amazon’s Alexa”, 2016), therefore catering to an implicitly entailed persona of a privileged, patriarchal audience. Through studies into third wave feminism and pluralism, design may benefit by recognising capitalist oppression and matrix of domination (Costanza-Chock, 2018). The aforementioned theories centre around subjective and contextual feminism (Kempson, 2014), which account for a multiplicity of ideas and perspectives. With this diversity and eclecticism, design interventions must allow for a transdisciplinary approach, contingent on accepting pluralism, recognising the effects of patriarchy and capitalism, and its influence on design. By integrating theories Dual-System Feminist Theory & Design Reciprocity 4 of plural identities, perhaps through persona mapping, representative testing groups, or an inclusive research process, the identities and social groups may coexist in peace. Additionally, by deploying plurality within contingent issues (Macleod, 2006), design would truly be able to improve accessibility, empathy, and sensitivity towards subjective feminism and experiences, and facilitate research into a neutral. The same was evident within our co-design workshops as we considered true universality in technologies, inclusive and respectful community healthcare, and data gaps by targeting different stages of the design process. It was also seen in the group illustration, which describes the outstanding plurality within design itself wherein design aims to both - furthering males and contradicting the same by promoting marginalised communities.

Lastly, feminism beckons designers to identify areas of discontent and concern because for there to be a problem, there must be resistance (Hardy, 2017). Therefore, co-design must expose, understand, and articulate the disconnect through sensitive, respectful, and considerate participation of a majority to ensure compromise in solutions.

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Dual-System Feminist Theory & Design Reciprocity

Co-Designs Impact on Responsibility and Social Justice The modern focus of design and co-design practice is social responsibility. Currently, it acts as a buzzword for corporate lingo and advertising. “Among designers, there is a largely neglectful misunderstanding between social and personal responsibility” (Rock, 1992), and whilst it’s easy to be swept away by an individual conscious it’s crucial to be able to combat the delineation of business structure and hold yourself accountable for a full scope of production. Through our own co-design practices, we saw firsthand the effects of our responsibility. Immediately you Dual-System Feminist Theory & Design Reciprocity 5 notice the power dynamic. As a sole facilitator, there is a significant chance that through implicit bias you can directly impact the results of your activity. We can use inclusive language, we can respect privacy boundaries and we can allow open communication however these may only be surface level adjustments to ensure that we are meeting our personal responsibility targets. Co-design as a concept does not guarantee the responsible feminist justices that are the target for our solutions, however to achieve such a thing you need to co-design. To actively draw from a range of human experiences and create a diverse breeding ground of ideas and perspective is more important now than it ever was before. But to ensure that your impact is truly socially responsible, designers must be able to attend to the wider problems that can feel “out of your control”. “Today industrial design places an importance on mass production over people” (Bagley, 2016). Whilst there is an individual intention to “make the world a better place” we are seeing our modern-day creations follow a matrix of dominance that fights against the needs of the marginalized in a way that places profits in the people’s hands that are furthest from the problems. Right here is where the social responsibility lies.

Almost all injustices over time have stemmed from the pursuit of profits inherently within its definition itself. This system is hard to break from. It’s hardwired and bolted to our brains. To cope, you blame the higher authority, as there’s nothing you can do. But removing yourself from the situation is also taking the side of the oppressor (Tutu, 1986, as cited by Orford Reference, 2021). You can quit but somebody else is going to do it and maybe you have the chance to change it from the inside.

This is where co-design comes to play. The power of numbers and shared experience creates a drive for change that can help turn a good idea into a real one. With purpose and evidence movement begin and “our ethical horizons must expand from the immediacy of our surrounds’’ (Schumacher, 2016, as cited in Wright, 2016) It is not a coincidence that with the exponential growth of communications we have seen more civil rights movements in the last 50 years than we have in the hundreds before that. When people are heard when people are accounted for change can happen. This is the full scope of responsibility. Whether your personal accountability may seem small there must be an assurance that your actions do not just account for yourself or the small circle but the full range of human experience.

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Dual-System Feminist Theory & Design Reciprocity

Reflective Conclusion To conclude, the paper explores Dual-Systems Feminist theories and practices and how they influence design through transdisciplinary action. This was done through considerations into the flawed notion of universality within design as an inequality produced by capitalism, humanitarianism/ missionary feminism, lack of inclusivity and plurality. Therefore, co-design practices must be revised to ensure respect, responsibility and accountability whilst moving forward. As we reflect on the significance of feminist values in design, we not only identify its importance through our research but embrace its approach in developing our practices as futures designers. We can see the impact of this through workshopping in real scenarios with real individuals and the sensitivity that exists within that space. It is paramount, when designing within the scope of human welfare and equity to practice the same values throughout the process.

Respecting plural thoughts and keeping an open mind to paradoxical outcomes as areas for further research

Marxist feminism explored in research but not in workshop (will inform future practice)

Implementation of respect, Understanding and care to participants

Through a consent - right to withdraw and confidentiality

The desire to attach personal experience to future solutions

Recognising the scale of gendered assumptions within the industry

Through empathetic debriefs

A larger one too, to gain reliable data to inform ideas

Not just focusing on design but system level change Inclusion as implied

by Dual-System Feminism

Understanding power dynamics and how this informs future practices (creating safe spaces)

Bringing data and awareness to the discussion

Targeting representative sample - Not relying on assumptions and assimilation like in humanitarianism and missionary feminism

Taking responsibility as a person in power, being mindful of personal biases and inclusive in speech and action

Lastly, Within these complex ideas there are valid limitations that could define these issues as a ‘wicked problem’.

These complex issues are mutually inclusive, each one dependent and intertwined with the other, creating a web of reciprocity. For instance, Capitalism is a byproduct of patriarchy and democracy, which leads to ‘voted’ marginalization and exclusion. If we were to say that capitalism should not exist, we will have to strip down social constructs which are its pillars - potentially descending into anarchy. Thus, we must accept and respect systems and their influence over people and design. As students, we understand that our access to experience and depth of knowledge is restrictive in its nature. We are just at the tip of the iceberg thus this research paves way for further exploration into the complex social, political, Dual-System Feminist Theory & Design Reciprocity 7 and economical constructs. The significance of our research lies within the awareness and active considerational action to ensure no reproduction of inequalities within our approach. We as designers must learn the art of reflexivity to mediate our implicit biases, encourage exploring plurality and alternative perspectives. We’ve tried to highlight the existence of large systematic faults that have been dictating the outcomes of design at the cost of feminism and justices.

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berryn Healthcare Future area of inquiry Engaging within the topic of community healthcare through research, discussions and workshops has highlighted some clear insights, primarily, open-minded and uncritical communication, not only for increasing awareness but for accessing support without fear of judgment or misdiagnoses. The importance of having a safe, approachable space is paramount to combating deep rooted feminist issues within the healthcare industry. In response to this opportunity a speculative Online systems design has been established. Users will have the ability to create personal profiles, anonymously, that can be shared amongst partnered healthcare professionals with the aim of creating a safe and supportive digital environment for a more comprehensive and equitable experience. The areas within this scenario that need to be addressed include: Privacy (for trust and safety), The implications of Online presence (people being able to negatively communicate with each other) Education (circulating incorrect or harmful information) and Invasiveness of the current healthcare system. Ultimately, the design will not just work as a functioning system but a step towards shifting attitudes towards outdated forms of diagnosis and creating greater validation for individuals within their healthcare experiences.

Co-designed with lived experiences

Anonymous user profile

Customize healthcare scenario Community / support

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Discursive Design: “Me” Future area of inquiry The workshop and research provided valuable insights into the importance of awareness, empathy and reflexivity.

Whilst we as designers are conditioned to critically evaluate systems, participants of co-creation workshops may find it difficult to identify and empathise with issues.

Thinking of ways to garner empathy and understanding, I created a discursive exhibition piece which evokes though regarding prevalent social injustices. The object called “Me” is a reflective voice assistant which personifies its user. As the user speaks to activate the object, the assistant takes in their voice and makes it its default. The body is a mirror and reflects its user connoting that anyone and everyone can be an assistant. It challenges the societal norms holding the occupation of an assistant as any other. Reflectivity and voice also allow for empathy, respect, and reflexivity, as one’s persona is transferred onto the object making them mindful of how it’s treated.

The discursive object bring awareness into the faults of current algorithms and AI, which are encoded with the binary. Even though a superficial change, it evokes thought into current voice assistants like Alexa and how they differ from “Me”. This consciousness raises discontent and therefore resistance, which is a major step towards change. The design can be taken further to account for negative responses to harassment and being used as an educational tool when faced with offensive questions.

Perhaps not as a marketable object, it seems like an essential intervention to encourage creators to take action towards redesigning current objects and systems to reduce algorithmic biases, moving towards social justice and equity.

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Redefining Perspective.

Future area of inquiry

I believe my research highlighted the importance of pulling individuals out of their own contextual understanding of the world and encouraging the exploration of alternative perspective. this is something that many processes of idea generation and design try to include but their failings lay within the lack of priority these systems place upon that step. The exploration of perspective must be introduced as a highest priority. instead of a step in the design process it should be a process in itself. A system that allows a designer, decision maker, researcher or anybody else to productively analysis their own process and determine where or if they have missed the crucial steps to include and consider a end user other then themselves. Like a guide this system can be illustrated as a flow chart or a phone app. allowing an iconic visual pattern to plant its self in the mind of the creator.

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our why The Co-Design and Feminism discourse has governed our approach and thought towards the design process and social justices. Our research and practice, despite their complexity and vastness, come down to humanity and how we must support, love, care, respect, and nurture one another especially in positions of assumed authority to facilitate meaningful, happy and healthy societies.

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