Happy International Women’s Day
An Instagram post caught my attention this week where the
caption referenced the fact that women are 50% more likely to be injured in a car
crash, likelier to be misdiagnosed after a heart attack, and their voices are 70%
less likely to be recognized by speech recognition software. This is because of
simple factors like crash test dummies modeled on the male body and voice
command systems being trained using the male voice. This blew my mind… that
over half the population is affected because of what we now know as universal
design. The idea that one solution or design will work for everyone, (I think
we can all agree) is a modern architecture trope that should be left in the 20th
century. How did we miss this one glaring flaw in designs that are critical to
our safety? I think this is far simpler than the concept of critical
regionalism and in a way is much more problematic that these sorts of things
are still in the process of being addressed.
But this leads back to an interesting discussion about
critical regionalism as well. The fact is, when we design for a specific place,
we like to do our research and find local materials, be sensitive to the
surrounding designs, etc. But we cannot forget that perhaps the data provided
to us is biased. Perhaps those designs come from a specific demographic of people
for whom it is beneficial. The critical
piece of regionalism invites us to consider a wider range of possibilities that
might work best for all users. Let’s be a little more proactive and not just
design for users who are exactly like us. At least that’s all I can hope for if
I’m ever in a car crash.
This a paper waiting to be written Solene. How the critique of identity (gender, in your case) has a direct reflection in the way in which we experience (and designs) cities and objects. Really cool.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. As an architect, it is extremely hard to design for everyone, but that is where it is important to understand the user and context of the building really well. My grandma always asks me if I will design homes for the elderly when I graduate. She was in a wheelchair for a while and was extremely disappointed with the design of kitchens in her elderly care facility. She could only reach the lower cabinets, and all of the upper cabinets were too high for her to use. Even if elderly people aren't using wheelchairs, many of them are shorter than the average person and could benefit from lower cabinets and a different overall kitchen design.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. Morbid and empowering at the same time. I agree that universal design is a huge mistake that will never work yet still a sad reality. But I think the realization is now a charge to the current and future generations of designers. We should be critical of what exists, challenge the status quo, and make responsible changes.
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