We are deeply rooted in human-centered design. That starts with showing empathy and having a design that is inclusive. As a society we have to learn how to empathize instead of sympathize. Our guest today understands this all too well. Today's special guest is Victor Udoewa, a multi-talented rocket scientist with a personality that is just as impressive as his career bio.
In today’s episode, Shawn and Victor discuss how organizations can meet the needs of immigrants and refugees, neurodiversity, the importance of inclusive design, pulling away from mainstream institutional knowledge, and the true meaning of radical relationships.
In This Episode:
(02:23) – How Victor tells people what he does for a living.
(04:38) – Organizations meeting the needs of immigrants and refugees.
(06:26) – Talking about Inclusive design and to empathize and not sympathize.
(12:34) – Talking about Shawn’s book Kiss Your Dragons.
(19:36) – On being maverick-minded and human-obsessed with larger audiences.
(24:49) – Victor gives invaluable advice to the audience.
(28:34) – The Combustion Questions.
What We Learned from Victor Udoewa
Victor directed his design work to community development and national development.
We need to use the best trauma responsive design and research practices in working with immigrants and refugees.
Public experience is broader than the citizen experience.
The best people to help us understand the needs of immigrants and refugees are immigrants and refugees.
It’s important for the public sector to learn about inclusive design because we are in a social mission.
Experiential knowledge is more important than design knowledge.
People can connect based on experiences, values, goals, and future visions.
Notable Quotes
[05:38] - “In order to create and design a particular solution, you have to be able to name the particular problem.”
[11:03] - “If we can be experts in this type of mainstream institutional design knowledge, then other people can be experts in other types of knowledge.”
[16:29] - “Ignorance isn’t the absence of knowledge. Ignorance is the absence of relationships.”
[26:15] - “Be open and aware of all the different possibilities. And part of that involves making your intentions known.”
Our Guest
Victor Udoewa is Chief Technology Officer, Chief Experience Officer, and Service Design Lead of the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs. Before joining NASA, he was director of strategy at 18 F, a civic consultancy for and inside the federal government. He also worked as a global education and instructional designer and training development specialist at Google, where he created learning experiences for people in low to middle income countries around the world. He occasionally teaches math and education teachers, conducts medical and engineering research and serves as a certified help crisis and trauma counselor.
Resources & Links
Victor Udoewa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udoewa/
Shawn Nason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasonshawn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manonfiresocial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/manonfiresocial
Website: https://shawnnason.com/
MOFI: https://www.mofi.co/
The Combustion Chronicles Podcast
Website: https://shawnnason.com/combustion-chronicles-episodes/
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