Entering and Breaking Design

Adriana Valdez Young is a design researcher with more than 15 years of leading design research that focuses on centering the experiences of historically excluded and underrepresented people for startups, government, non-profits, and corporate clients. . She advises inclusive research at SOUR, a global design studio with the mission to address social and urban problems, servers as associate chair of the MFA of Interaction design at the School of Visual Arts, and writes about inclusive design for UX Magazine. Prior to that she led research and strategy at Stae, a platform for cities to manage civic data and new mobilities. She was the head of consumer research at littleBits, a STEAM platform for kids and educators to invent their own technology. And most recently, shecrafted community experiences at 3X3 and shaped communications, business development, and the urban design practice at Openbox. Adriana holds a BA in History from Brown University and an MSc in City Design and Social Science fromthe London School of Economics.

In this episode, Adriana reflects on her journey as "an accidental designer" - breaking and entering design. She talks about how her early passion for understanding context, her curiosity and her un-satisfaction with the status quo led her to design for social change. She reflects on co-creation and inclusive design, reminding us that all design should be inclusive.

To learn more about Adriana's work, follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valdezyoung/

and check her website:  https://www.welikeresearch.com/

You can also read her reflections on Medium: https://adrianavyoung.medium.com/

Credits:

Conception, host and production: Anne-Laure Fayard

Sound design & Post-production: Claudio Silva

Music & Art Work: Guilhem Tamisier