Dear Designers…We Need to Talk About Race: How Colorblind User Research Produces Racist Design

User research has a problem with race. Although designers create for a diverse, globalized world, their research practices are rooted in racial assumptions that have a long and ugly history. In this talk, Alba Villamil will discuss how taking a “colorblind” approach to research—minimizing the existence of race and racism—helps produce racist design. She will then describe research strategies and tools designers can use to produce more racially equitable work.