This is where we check to see if our methods are producing equitable solutions and make adjustments as needed to our design process. By reflecting at this phase, we are confirming that we are solving the right "problem" and checking that our solutions are rooted in community needs and experiences.
Consider who within your organization and from the community should be involved in answering questions in this phase.
Can any of those goals or constraints be negotiated with the client / leadership?
For goals or constraints that can't be changed, which ones are the most problematic for equity outcomes?
How can we explore wildly creative solutions to address these obstacles? Can we engage the community, client / leadership, or both together to brainstorm possible solutions?
For obstacles that can’t be addressed within this project, how might we make sure our client / leadership is aware of them for future initiatives?
potential outputs
LIST
Updated goals, constraints, and metrics for project's success, including for equity outcomes
Threats to successful equity outcomes
Create
Targeted design exploration to maximize equity outcomes
resources
Within Kaleidoscope, we're referring to equity/equitable as taking actions that lead to meaningful impact in addressing imbalances that stem from social and systemic oppression, so that individuals and groups can realize more positive outcomes. Equitable approaches require acknowledgement of specific needs and disparities in order to meaningfully improve experiences and outcomes. Consider what equity might look like for your project, given the factors and forces in its context and the communities it's intended to serve.
Within Kaleidoscope, we're referring to culturally-responsive practices as intentional approaches that prioritize an awareness of and accommodations made in light of an individual’s or group’s beliefs, language, norms, characteristics, attitudes, values, traditions, way of life, worldview, and experiences.
Within Kaleidoscope, we're referring to factors and forces as the conditions or systemic structures that influence people’s experiences; these can include institutions, social structures, policies, people, technology, environmental and political factors, as well as individual circumstances that impact one's agency and access.
Within Kaleidoscope, context refers to the environment or situation in which a product or service is used, as well as the broader domain in which it exists (e.g., accessing primary care in a rural area, which sits within the broader domain of healthcare.) Defining the context enables us to examine the dynamic factors and forces within it (including social structures, institutions, political factors, policies, people, technology, and personal circumstances, etc) that influence the experiences of individuals and groups differently.
Within Kaleidoscope, we're referring to engage/engagements as inviting individuals or groups external to the immediate project team into the research and/or design process; types of engagement can range from consultation to methods that prioritize collaboration and sharing power (i.e., intentional actions to shift, grow, or rebalance power).
Within Kaleidoscope, we're referring to communities/community members primarily as the people and groups who will be served or impacted by the product or service you are creating. Although people can share common needs, values, or goals, applying an intersectional lens helps us avoid oversimplification, homogenous labels, and limiting assumptions when we think about groups. (For example, in a group of parents, we would benefit from looking deeper to explore the experiences of mothers, and deeper still to learn about the experiences of mothers of color.) Sometimes you may work directly with community members, and other times you might work with community leaders and advocates who have established trust with the communities your solution is intended to serve.
Within Kaleidoscope, we're referring to impact as the emotional, social, and material results of one’s interaction with products, services, and systems. These effects can be planned, anticipated, or unintended.
Within Kaleidoscope, we're referring to co-design as a partnership between those creating products and services and the people that will use or be affected by those solutions to understand, define, and solve a problem together, from planning through research and design to delivery
