Allyship in Design: Understanding the Support Needs and Burnout Risks for Non-User Advocates
Effective allyship in design requires acknowledging and mitigating the significant challenges and burnout potential faced by individuals advocating for user groups, particularly disabled people.
Societies · 2023
Key Findings
- 01A significant portion of literature discusses allies and allyship in relation to disabled people, but often without specifying the nature of the ally.
- 02Technology was identified as a frequently mentioned specific ally.
- 03A smaller but notable number of studies address the challenges and stressors faced by allies, with a few explicitly mentioning the risk of burnout.
Application
Design takeaway
When incorporating external advocacy or stakeholder input, design teams must actively consider the well-being and support needs of these allies to ensure their long-term effectiveness and prevent burnout.
How to apply
In your design project, identify individuals or groups acting as allies for specific user segments. Assess the potential stressors they face and implement support mechanisms, such as clear communication channels, defined roles, and realistic expectations, to prevent their disengagement.
Project actions
- 01When you have people helping you represent a user group, think about how to make their job easier and less stressful.
- 02Consider if your project puts too much pressure on these allies.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Comprehensive search strategy across multiple databases.
- +Focus on a specific, under-researched aspect of advocacy (ally burnout).
Limitations
The scope of the review was limited to academic abstracts and full texts, which might not capture all nuances of allyship in practice. The definition of 'ally' can be subjective.
Reliability & validity
The reliability of the review is supported by the systematic methodology. Validity is enhanced by the broad search across multiple databases, but may be limited by the subjective interpretation of 'allyship' and 'challenges' within the reviewed literature.
Think critically
How can design teams proactively build systems of support for allies that are integrated into the project lifecycle, rather than being an afterthought?
Design Principles
"Sustainably support all stakeholders involved in representing user needs."
Design projects often rely on advocates and stakeholders who may not be direct users but play a crucial role in representing diverse needs. Understanding their support requirements and potential for burnout is essential for sustained and authentic representation throughout the design process.
What This Means for Your Design
People who help advocate for others (like disabled people) can get really tired and stressed out. Designers need to make sure these helpers are supported so they can keep helping.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when discussing the importance of stakeholder engagement and the potential challenges in managing diverse advocacy groups within your design project.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
(2023). Coverage of Allies, Allyship and Disabled People: A Scoping Review. Societies. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13110241 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/96acae74-072f-4c2a-8448-4df7da5265c5/allyship-in-design-understanding-the-support-needs-and-burnout-risks-for-non-user-advocates
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the critical need to consider the support structures for individuals acting as allies for user groups. As seen in the study by Wolbring and Lillywhite (2023), allies, particularly those advocating for disabled people, face significant challenges and a risk of burnout. Therefore, in the development of [Your Design Project], it is imperative to implement strategies that actively mitigate these stressors, ensuring sustained and effective advocacy for the target user demographic.
Source
Societies
Coverage of Allies, Allyship and Disabled People: A Scoping Review
journal · 2023
View sourceQuestions about this research
- What does the research say about allyship in design: understanding the support needs and burnout risks for non-user advocates?
- When incorporating external advocacy or stakeholder input, design teams must actively consider the well-being and support needs of these allies to ensure their long-term effectiveness and prevent burnout. Evidence: Societies (2023).
- Why does "Allyship in Design: Understanding the Support Needs and Burnout Risks for Non-User Advocates" matter for design?
- Design projects often rely on advocates and stakeholders who may not be direct users but play a crucial role in representing diverse needs. Understanding their support requirements and potential for burnout is essential for sustained and authentic representation throughout the design process.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When incorporating external advocacy or stakeholder input, design teams must actively consider the well-being and support needs of these allies to ensure their long-term effectiveness and prevent burnout.
- What were the main findings?
- A significant portion of literature discusses allies and allyship in relation to disabled people, but often without specifying the nature of the ally.. Technology was identified as a frequently mentioned specific ally.. A smaller but notable number of studies address the challenges and stressors faced by allies, with a few explicitly mentioning the risk of burnout.
- What research method was used?
- Scoping Review with 271 relevant abstracts, with 6 full texts undergoing deeper analysis..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2023 journal from Societies.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- In your design project, identify individuals or groups acting as allies for specific user segments. Assess the potential stressors they face and implement support mechanisms, such as clear communication channels, defined roles, and realistic expectations, to prevent their disengagement.
- What are the limitations?
- The review focused on academic literature, potentially missing practical insights from design practice. The definition and identification of 'allies' in the literature varied.
- Is there evidence that understanding support affects design outcomes?
- While the concept of allyship is present in research concerning disabled people, detailed exploration of the specific challenges and the risk of burnout for these allies is less common, though it is an important consideration. Design projects often rely on advocates and stakeholders who may not be direct users but play Source: Societies (2023).
- Where does this support needs research apply?
- Academic research on disability activism and advocacy. It sits within user-centred design research on designdex.org.
Related research topics
understanding support design research · evidence on understanding support · does understanding support improve design outcomes · support needs studies for designers · understanding support and support needs findings · user-centred design research evidence