While The Red Hot Chilli Peppers are no Rage Against the Machine, they do contain multitudes. If they can sing about America’s inequality only to later request a woman to suck a kiss — I think we can too. The wildly different songs align perfectly with the possibility that we don’t have to live in an either-or situation. We can choose to consider the ethical implications of our labor within a corporate system whose goals focus on increasing shareholder value. We don’t have to choose between living as morally bankrupt corporate dregs or social justice advocates. We can be both! We can live together in a tenuous state of cognitive dissonance … I mean harmony, but it’ll take work.
What happens if you don’t put in the work?
Putting in the work can be annoying. It’s easy to be cynical. It’s easy to be lazy, and it’s hard enough dealing with meetings and deadlines. But before I make the justification on why you should put in the work, I should disclose that I am a former social worker. I worked on the ground with low-income families for 12 years and then received my master’s in social welfare. [Read: Why designers need to look beyond 2 genders]
How to think like a social worker
To push past cynicism and laziness, little steps need to be taken behind the scenes. I have a few ideas on how we can do that. In social work, we’re trained to make sure that our theories, philosophies, and models can be put into practice. Here are a few steps to help us do just that: Step 1. Acknowledge that there is a problem. Step 2. Talk about it. Step 3. Listen. Step 4. The Model (If you’re feeling feisty). The goal of this model is to help you to think like a social worker, so our design work will be considerate and accessible.
The Model
This article was originally published on uxdesign.cc
