Erika Menczigar / Trauma-informed Design: An Overlooked Aspect of Inclusive Design

Approximately 40-60% of your users and colleagues have experienced psychological trauma at some point in their lives. Many live with its long-term effects, which can significantly influence how they perceive and interact with information. Unfortunately, inclusive design often neglects this critical aspect.
Key Discussion Points:
* Navigating the Line: Inconsiderate vs. Triggering Design Elements - Understanding the subtle differences between designs that are merely inconsiderate and those that can actively trigger trauma responses.
* Case Studies: Products That Have Integrated Trauma-Informed Design - Highlighting products that have successfully considered psychological trauma in their design processes.
* Research and Design Strategies: Best Practices for Tech Professionals - Essential research methodologies and design considerations that tech professionals can apply to create more inclusive and empathetic user experiences.
Through relatable everyday examples, this talk will shed light on this often-overlooked topic, providing actionable insights for incorporating trauma-informed principles into your design processes.
About the speaker
I am a User Experience Researcher with a Master's degree in psychology. After gaining experience in academic research and mental health care, I have been helping create user-friendly websites and products, with a special interest in inclusive and trauma-informed design. For somebody who spent almost a decade supporting people, the aim to make this world more human-centred will always remain a priority for me with the skills I learned while working with vulnerable people.
I have extensive experience in academic, business and user experience research within different organisations, where I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects and to talk to hundreds of users. I also completed design tasks and was happy to take part in that phase of the design life-cycle.
In my free time, I am still passionately involved in mental-health-related activities and trying to increase awareness of the impact of trauma and the importance of self-awareness.
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Great topic! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about that.