Pursuing positionality in design

In the context of a complex social matrix that we find ourselves in, described by the continuous flux of power relations and asymmetries; design as a practice, their practitioners and researchers carry the responsibility in the mindful shaping of the future. As mediators within the design system, designers carry the conversation between the design program, a hypothesis, the stakeholders, and the effects of the resulting conclusions. Within their practice and the reflexive process upon it, designers can question, critique, and dismantle oppressive systems of status quo perpetuation. A first approach to a critical dialogue in design suggests reviewing one’s identity to discover possible privileges and biases. This is done through the revision of positionality as a conscious way of understanding who we are regarding an other; identity remains fundamental in the axiological description of our ethical values, preconceptions, and the essence of our being, modifying and steering our ways of knowing and doing. Defining positionality impacts the design process and research, affecting methodologies and findings. This manuscript searches to display the nuances of design and the relevance of achieving the situated conception of our identity, i.e. positionality, through reflexivity. Intersecting designerly research and critical social studies to analyse the role of the self enables reflexivity. Giving a comprehensive overview of how to achieve this by overlapping Decolonial theory and Pluriverse, Thirdwave feminist theories such as Intersectionality, Standpoint theory, and Critical race theory; research methodologies such as Autoethnography and Participatory action research are presented under this theoretical framework.