How to do work with ‘positive impact’
Being a product designer in fashion e-commerce, I’m not exactly curing cancer. A while ago, however, my views around ‘positive impact’ changed for the better.
In this moment, a colleague shared a usability video of a blind man trying to buy a shirt online. As the man attempted his search, I was shocked by how something so basic could be made so difficult through an inaccessible user experience. While watching the video, I thought about how I would feel if I had become blind, and now couldn’t even buy myself a shirt online. I would feel disempowered. Out of control. Hopeless. Sad. If I can’t even buy myself a shirt online, how am I supposed to do anything?
In essence, it’s not the ‘what’ of my work (working in fashion). Instead, it’s the ‘how’ (advocating for accessible design) that equates to my ‘positive impact.’
So, who has more of a ‘positive impact’ — a caring cashier at an off-license, or an arrogant founder of a sustainability group? Who has more of an ‘impact’ — a famous photographer who abuses their employees but speaks political woke-ness on social media, or a designer who mentors others for free in their spare time?
I’ve realized that having a clear grasp of my own values allows me to behave in a way that creates the kind of world I want to live in. As a result of past challenges, I have developed a passion to help people feel more included. While I am just another person working in fashion e-commerce, I’ve realized that taking on opportunities — even if they’re small — to make others feel more included, particularly as women in tech, gives me a sense of purpose — even if I’m just helping you buy more shirts online.
This week…
I challenge you to think about the ‘how’ of your work, rather than the ‘what.’ How can you make the way you work (not the industry you’re in) be more in line with your values?
