Designing For Microaggressions

Microaggressions are subtle, everyday comments or actions that communicate discrimination towards historically marginalized groups. While these can be small experiences, they can cause measurable harm. Researchers have investigated how to reduce the negative experiences that result. But there have only been limited investigations into how to support those efforts with technology. To address this, we conduct a series of fifteen participatory design workshops aimed at designing to reduce the occurrence of and negative impacts from microaggressions. The workshops included 47 participants drawn from communities frequently targeted by microaggressions, with groups formed around gender, race/ethnicity, and disability & accessibility. Our study findings identified four primary themes in designing effective interventions for microaggressions: proactive measures, reward and accountability frameworks, community support mechanisms, and long-term educational resources. Through axial coding, we observed that different groups respond uniquely to these intervention approaches, with distinct preferences for timing, intervention style, and accountability. We identify challenges participants face when intervening around microaggressions and suggest directions for future solutions.