I frequently question what is considered "normal" when navigating public and private spaces. Who are the preferred majorities that designed systems are serving?
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Like many first-generation immigrants, I have lived experiences where my community and I were only seen as recipients but not knowledgeable collaborators in initiatives aimed at empowering us. As I work, I bring these biases and experiences along because they remind me of my positionality and provide me with a strength, which is empathy.
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Empathy allows me to expand my understanding of under-represented voices outside my previous and current frames of reference and strengthen my research insights by acknowledging the spectrum of user experience and service patterns across generations, cultures, languages, religions, and traditions.
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Communities are not monoliths, and I believe as designers and researchers, we can amplify this statement by including and preserving the cultural and linguistic "nuisances" that emerge through qualitative research.
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In essence, I believe my role as a design practitioner is to help preserve the plurality within our communities and make sure everyone has the equal power and resources to flourish in their environments.