Design for prevention, not protection | by Ida Persson

The same day as I saw the release from Apple, I also saw this Instagram post.

The post from Gianna Bacio was in response to sex allegations against the band Rammstein’s lead singer Till Lideman that has been highlighted extensively in Germany over the past few months.

Rather than (just) protecting our daughters, we should educate our sons. That’s what this post of provocations are all about.

As women, we’ve internalized the idea that having to change our behavior to stay safe is normal.

We cover our drinks, check over our shoulders, avoid walking alone at certain times of the day, and yes, make sure we “Check-In” when we get home. We’re experts in survival strategies.

But life shouldn’t be about surviving. It should be about living.

As designers, we ask “how might we” and “what if…” So, I leave you with this question…

What if, instead of helping people avoid harm, we designed a world where they didn’t have to be unsafe to begin with? Then what features would we design?