Embedded Files
Co-creating radical change
We co-designed the new Dark Matter U website to connect like-minded mission-driven educators to foster change toward an anti-racist model of design education. I hosted design workshops, worked collaboratively across the collective, coded, and launched DMU's website redesign.
Overview
Dark Matter U is an anti-racist design justice school collectively seeking the radical transformation of education & practice toward a just future. Similar to a collective model, Dark Matter U works as a democratic network. Since its inception, the organization has grown and its needs have changed. And so their website needed to also.
Problem space
Dark Matter U experiments with many radical models as a not-quite-university and not-quite-non-profit. Not having many precedents was a liberating challenge. And we took advantage of that with our process.
My role: Generalist UX designer
As the sole UX Designer in a team of multidisciplinary designers, I designed and led workshops, and design sessions, and created and maintained design systems. As the lead web developer, I created content, copy, and custom codes for the redesign.
Methods
Analyzed existing data from Dark Matter U, design workshop with stakeholders, stakeholder interviews affinity map, MUSHCOWO map, feature prioritization, sketching & design studio, prototyping, and usability testing.
Tools
Figma, Figjam, G Suite, Trello, Zoom, & Slack
Timeline
February 2023 - Ongoing
Our focus
Trust in the process
Dark Matter U's workflow differs from your typical enterprise. With a sort-of flat structure, there are various data streams that help the organization run. The challenge for the UX team was to understand how the organization works. Once that was understood, the goal was to design a website that would not only assist the collective in their work but also serve as the external face for potential partnerships to learn about DMU and represent their brand.
Our process
Experimenting with co-creation
In a room full of designers, the endless stream of creativity is thrilling. To stay true to their commitment of creating new forms of knowledge, community, and design, we implemented new processes to democratize decision-making for the website redesign. With sensitivity, we co-created branding elements, established business goals, made design decisions, and much more. Being involved in the entire collective process is truly a humbling experience.
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Website redesign
Co-creation through collectivity and community
Click through my prototype below!
What's next?
Next steps, recommendations, and reflections
We invite more mission-driven educators and professionals to join and grow with us. Our ultimate goal is to design and develop an online portal and database to enhance workflow throughout the organization. Our immediate next steps are to test and improve our new redesign.
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