EDI Pathfinder
Black Lives Matter.
The EDI Pathfinder is a research project pushing socially just intention into action.
The information gap surrounding EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion) design in architecture.
Following widespread public protests, architecture firms around the world declared solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
There is strong intention to do better, but the path forward is unclear.
Problem
Project Overview
Context
Master of Science Thesis Research
1 researcher, 3 advising committee members
Jun 2020 - June 2021
Methods and Tools
Qualitative User Research
Usability Testing
Adobe XD Prototyping
Role
Primary Investigator
User Research
UX Design and Development
Understanding the user journey
User Interviews
Identifying major barriers to action
“We still have to serve our clients and projects. EDI work comes out of our personal time.”
“Upper management doesn’t know what they don’t know.”
“Sometimes the client doesn’t want to, and does the bare minimum.”
Time
Experience
Convincing management that action is needed
Client motivation
Design
Developing an interactive web tool that generates customized, project-based action items that advance EDI.
By taking a user-focused approach to interaction design, it will ease the information overload on architects and give them an effective, intuitive, and easy-to-use tool. Research found that customized information was far more actionable than current resources.
Results provided are a talking point for both management and clients and visualizations provide soft metrics for improvement.
“If you have something to talk around, that makes having the conversation easier. Rather than just bringing it up out of the blue. But if you had something like this, then it’s like ‘Oh, well, we can talk about these concrete things that already exist.’ and this provides the framework”
Facilitate discussion
“We have at least one person who is really into metrics, this would really appeal to him because he could see what he’s doing and how it’s evolving. So I think the tool would meet different people where they’re at and what they’re looking for.”