MA project: Bias in design
Unconscious bias is an innate human tendency to preferentially attempt to validate our beliefs, opinions and judgments. However, it is commonly overlooked as something that largely affects the design community.
My MA project uncovered how different forms of bias can occur during the design process, particularly when transforming data, which in this case was on the topic of colour gender-coding in children’s toys. Data was gathered through a study that tested participants on how feminine or masculine they perceived three different children’s toys in a variety of colours. The focus of the project was to create a form of unbiased information graphics on the topic, through which various other themes were explored including the importance of quantitative research, social or ethical design, graphic authorship and the many roles played by a modern graphic designer. The final resolution consisted of six large-scale posters, an accompanying document on the theme of bias, as well as a 15,000 word report.
