Design Challenge:

The WINGS Study explores Black adolescent and young adult queer women’s experiences of intimate partner violence, which are underrepresented in health-related literature. Given the sensitive and deeply personal nature of this topic, it was vital that this research was co-designed with women affected by intimate partner violence - not for them.

Design Solution:

We used human-centered design (HCD) as a problem-solving process to understand the factors and context surrounding exposure to intimate partner violence among young Black queer women. We created a youth advisory board (YAB) to truly center and understand survivor's experiences throughout the research. The nine YAB members we engaged reflected the community context and lived experiences of Black young women and were instrumental to our HCD process. Together, we used design research methods including affinity mapping, storyboarding, and interpretive collaging to better understand their experiences and imagine supportive resources.