The design studio model for DEI

As a former architect, some of the most engaging and enriching educational experiences I ever had were in my design studio classes in architecture school. “Project-based learning” is a concept people are more familiar with now - in fact, my kids have been in schools with project-based learning since kindergarten - but for me it was a revelation that my actual academic courses could be more interesting than extra-curriculars. (The reverse had been true for me in high school in the UK where academics were very test/exam focused and where it was the extra-curriculars that were more “project-based.”)

I also loved learning in the community of the studio. Presenting our work and getting feedback could be nerve-wracking, but I learned as much from working alongside and with my peers as I did from my professors. It became odd to be in liberal arts classes where you wrote an essay and handed it in without presenting to your peers and getting to see and discuss how we each handled the assignment!

I wasn’t familiar with the concept of “design thinking” then either… it just seemed like an obvious and natural way of working to me.

I realize now that it isn’t, and also that it can be a great way to approach DEI (with some caveats).

So when, after a series of workshops with did with them last year, IIDA (International Interior Design Association) Equity Council came to us saying they really wanted to help firms not just learn but take action, I knew what I wanted to do - use a design studio model to support participants in taking action and actually implementing a JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) project at their firm.

And so the JEDI Action Lab was born.

Equity Council was started by Elsie St Léger, Hana Getachew, Yetta Banks and Erin Ruby (three Black women and a white woman) in NY in 2020 to foster engagement and accountability toward meaningful change in the design industry.

The Council’s mission is to create a more just and equitable design industry by focusing on four key pillars in the workplace: cultures of inclusion, increased racial diversity, education and communication.

In 2021, Equity Council's Design Industry Pledge was launched, and in the first session of the JEDI Action Lab, we invited participants from various design industry firms to start with as an assessment of firm culture and JEDI, using the pledge as the starting point.

From there, each chose a project that they would implement over the course of the Lab and beyond, and they presented their progress at each subsequent session over the course of three months, getting feedback from the CCI facilitation team as well as each other in the process.

And so it was that I was reminded of just how much I love the design studio model. Participants learned as much from each other as from us, possibly more. The discussions were fascinating and rich, and there were unexpected connections between very different projects at very different firms in very different stages of DEI/JEDI development. Participants also got to take action, come back for feedback and support, then take more action in an iterative process. It wasn't just an intellectual exercise, it was hands on, and there was so much progress, even for those who ended up feeling like they were "back to square one."

AND IT WAS FUN!!!!

This isn't to say the work isn't hard, believe me it is hard. I believe that connections and engaging discussions and ability to find humor, joy and solidarity are critical to building and maintaining momentum.

And honestly, the projects exceeded my wildest expectations, especially knowing how busy everyone is and how hard it is to keep up momentum when JEDI is a "volunteer" effort as it is for so many (and all of our attendees).

With participants from the design industry, it was easy to apply the design studio model, but I believe it has application more generally as well. I can’t wait to bring it to other organizational clients!

Self-coaching for DEI Advocates and Leaders

Join us for a free weekly email series and check-in on co-creating real and lasting shifts towards diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism at your company or organization. Sign up here.