Design and innovate to create equitable, just, and engaging information artifacts, including services, systems, spaces, resources, and technologies. 

​​Understanding of the Objective

     Designing and innovating to create equitable, just, and engaging information artifacts means recognizing that nearly everything a library creates involves a design plan. An information artifact can be a website, digital collection, lesson plan, program, physical space, instructional resource, exhibit, or be a service. Each artifact involves choices about an audience, organization, language, accessibility, navigation, privacy, and participation. Those choices influence who can easily use a resource, who may encounter barriers, and whose experiences are represented.

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     For me, as a current employee in the tech world, I've learned innovational design does not mean choosing a new technology simply because it is available. It should solve a problem, improve access, encourage participation, or make information easier to understand and use for the community it is serving. Effective design needs to begin with the intended consumers and consider their needs throughout the whole process. This outcome also emphasizes that users should have opportunities to influence their programs, services, and resources designed for them. Community members bring lived experiences and knowledge that information professionals may not have, making their participation necessary during planning and evaluation rather than only after something has been completed.

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     Finally, a good design requires being willing to critique what already exists. Buildings, technologies, collections, descriptions, and other systems may have been created and selected without considering all users. Identifying those barriers is only the first step; librarians need to consider realistic ways to improve or repair them to be more inclusive. I see design as a form of public service that should make information more accessible, understandable, and welcoming.

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Evidence

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     Throughout my MLIS program, several projects have demonstrated my ability to apply design principles, involve users in decision-making, and evaluate existing designs for exclusivity. My Know Your Rights: A Community Toolkit for Families and Caregivers demonstrates the design of a digital resource around a community's potentially high-stakes information need. The toolkit organizes trustworthy information related to immigration, education, housing, employment, health, and legal rights. Because someone may access the resource during a stressful situation, its design required more than simply collecting useful links. Information needed to be clearly organized, understandable, and easy to navigate in multiple languages. This resource incorporates authoritative sources, multilingual pathways, privacy awareness, visible disclaimers, and referrals to appropriate and official organizations. A feedback option also allows users to identify information that may be unclear or missing. Developing the toolkit helped me understand the importance of balancing completeness with usability. Providing too much information without any clear structure can create another barrier, while providing too little may leave someone without a meaningful next step. This project supports PLO 3.1 by demonstrating how design principles can be applied to create an accessible and purposeful information resource.

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     Navigating IEPs Together: A Community Effort at Oakland Public Library strengthened my understanding of designing services with my community rather than just for them. The proposed program focused on low-income Black families navigating Individualized Education Programs for autistic children. Parent consultants and community organizations were invited to planning, hybrid participation, childcare, sensory supports, plain-language information, privacy protections, and Universal Design for Learning for the program itself. These elements would be incorporated before the program had started to help respond directly to any barriers that might prevent families from participating. Parents would be given opportunities to influence program topics and provide feedback about its effectiveness. This project most directly supports PLO 3.2 because it taught me that user voice should always be incorporated into the decision-making process rather than requested only after a service has been launched.

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     My Rules, Roles, and Realities: Exploring Oakland Schools, 1880–1897 project demonstrates another type of information-artifact design. The lesson guides learners through primary-source exploration, leaning on small-group analysis, discussion, and reflection on school governance, curriculum, punishment, expectations for teachers, and the experiences missing from the historical record. Rather than presenting historical conclusions and assumptions, the lesson was designed so students could examine evidence and develop their own questions and interpretations of the primary source. The accompanying webpage also transformed the lesson into a visual digital resource that could be shared beyond the classroom creating a pathway for additional discovery instead of just delivering information.

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     Through an accessibility lens, my IST 564 Library Observation provided an opportunity to critique the existing design of my local library. I examined how entrances, doors, elevators, restrooms, aisles, shelving, seating, catalog stations, self-checkout kiosks, computers, signage, and surveillance technology affected the user experience of my community. My observation revealed that a space can technically meet accessibility requirements while still creating obstacles. For example, a patron may be able to enter the building but still struggle with high shelves, standing-only technology, difficult doors, or poorly positioned equipment. Rather than simply documenting problems, the assignment also required consideration of practical improvements. This directly supports PLO 3.3 by demonstrating how critique can identify inequities and lead toward mitigation and repair for its users.

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     Digitizing local ephemera has also taught me that design is not limited to what users immediately see. My collection of historical photographs, maps, diaries, newspaper clippings, and other materials I've acquired has required decisions about file names, descriptive information, provenance, transcription, storage, organization, backup, and eventual public access. Much of my work happens behind the scenes, yet my personal choices determine what information is easily located, understood, preserved, and shared with my community. This experience has made me more aware of the difference between simply scanning an item and creating a sustainable digital collection for the public. Good archival design must consider the entire information life cycle rather than focusing only on the finished digital image.

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     These projects demonstrated my ability to create information artifacts using thoughtful design principles under PLO 3.1, include users in decision-making under PLO 3.2, and critique existing spaces and systems to identify and address inequity under PLO 3.3.​

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Learning Transfer

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     These experiences have taught me to approach new designs as an ongoing process rather than a one-time creative task. Future projects of mine will begin by identifying the problem, target users, desired outcomes, limitations, and any ethical concerns before choosing a technology or format to represent the community we are serving. Testing, feedback, and revision should always remain part of the process rather than assuming the first version is complete. User participation will also be incorporated whenever possible through interviews, surveys, advisory groups, usability testing, community consultants, descendant review, or other forms of feedback appropriate to the project. Accessibility and multilingual options support should be considered from the beginning, too. Digital resources can use clear headings, readable text, meaningful links, alternative text, captions, plain language, and mobile-friendly layouts. Physical programs and spaces require similar attention to seating, sound, lighting, transportation, schedules, sensory conditions, and other factors that may affect participation.

     Community archives will require particular care with description and context. Standardized metadata can improve organization and interoperability, while local names, addresses, terminology, and relationships can make collections more useful to community researchers. Historical language or descriptions that could cause harm or may be incomplete may also require additional context or reparative description.

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     Sustainability is another important part of design. A creative program or digital platform has limited value if staffing, funding, preservation, maintenance, or accessibility cannot be supported over time. Considering these needs early can help determine whether an idea should begin as a pilot, be redesigned, or use a different approach in size.

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     This outcome has shown me that equitable design requires creativity, evidence, technical skill, user participation, and a willingness to learn and revise. In my professional practice, I hope to create information artifacts that help people explore, participate, and discover while remaining transparent about the choices and limitations behind each design decision.