Design for prevention, not protection
Instead of helping women avoid harm, what if we designed a world where they didn’t have to be unsafe to begin with? A design provocation.
“Let your friends know when you arrive safely.” A few months ago, Apple introduced their latest operating system and among the new features was something called Check In. Check In is a way to alert friends and family that you have arrived at your destination, such as your home.
It is easy to imagine how these features were designed with women in mind. A check-in feature could replace the “text me when you’re home” procedure that many women participate in after a night out. A design solution that might help women feel more safe.
I welcome the feature, but it also got me thinking about design…
Why is it that many of our design solutions focus on the people who experience the harm, rather than the people causing it?
What would it look like if we turned it around? What would a “safety feature” that made someone less likely to commit a sexual crime look like?
Imagine…
a feature that sends alerts reminding someone about the rules of consent before or during a night out with their friends?
What if…
Instead of classes where women learn self-defense, we created spaces where men were taught about macho culture and consent?
Picture a scenario where…
Siri recognized when you engaged in catcalling and sent an alert to your watch or phone?
What role can design play in changing the narrative?
The same day as I saw the release from Apple, I also saw this Instagram post.
The post from Gianna Bacio was in response to sex allegations against the band Rammstein’s lead singer Till Lideman that has been highlighted extensively in Germany over the past few months.
Rather than (just) protecting our daughters, we should educate our sons. That’s what this post of provocations are all about.
As women, we’ve internalized the idea that having to change our behavior to stay safe is normal.
We cover our drinks, check over our shoulders, avoid walking alone at certain times of the day, and yes, make sure we “Check-In” when we get home. We’re experts in survival strategies.
But life shouldn’t be about surviving. It should be about living.
As designers, we ask “how might we” and “what if…” So, I leave you with this question…
What if, instead of helping people avoid harm, we designed a world where they didn’t have to be unsafe to begin with? Then what features would we design?
