This month, we are featuring the work of Max Masure, (they/them), is an Ethical UX Researcher, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant, Author, and Public Speaker.

They were named one of the most influential leaders of DEI in 2019 and 2020 by Hive Learning. They recently supported the United Nations in their efforts to improve engagement on their Sustainable Development Goals, trained Doctors Without Borders to better serve their employees and donors, trained a global hotel company to better serve their transgender and gender non-conforming customers, and they are currently advising the Service Design Network Organization as a founding member of their Diversity, Education, and Inclusion Advisory Board.

They believe in equity, human-centered design, nature-centered design, community-led initiatives, and the liberation of underserved communities. They regularly speak on trans inclusion, inner power, ethics, and transformative culture.

You can connect with Max Masure directly at www.MaxMasure.com, and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxmasure/

Their Inner Power Workbook will be released in 2021: http://www.maxmasure.com/inner-power-workbook

If you are a DJN member doing interesting work and would like to be featured in a future newsletter or blog post, please email us at designjusticenetwork@gmail.com.

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(This article below, originally appeared on designwanted.com. This is an excerpt of that article - Please read the full article on designwanted here: https://designwanted.com/design/interview-max-masure

“WAKE THE F*CK UP!” and start designing for all – Interview with Max Masure (They/Them)

Author: Yasmina Rasamny

“As designers, we have more power than we think.” Max Masure is using their voice and their expertise to advocate for trans rights and create more inclusive systems.

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is on May 17th, and we are taking this opportunity to show our support to the LGBTQ+ community, and to show particular appreciation to our LGBTQ+ creative friends. We talk to Max Masure, ‘a white, mostly non-disabled, transgender non-binary queer person’.

This is how Masure defines themselves, and this is the approach they are adapting in their practice. They work as an Ethical UX Researcher, Inclusion Consultant, Author, and Public Speaker, and aim towards trans inclusion, inner power and cultural change. They co-founded Argo Collective, where they design and lead trans and gender inclusion workshops and training in tech companies.

Named one of the most influential leaders of DEI in 2019 and 2020 by Hive Learning, Masure has experience working with large organizations, such as the United Nations on its efforts to improve engagement on its Sustainable Development Goals, and Doctors Without Borders on a training to better serve its employees and donors.

*Ethical UX Researcher, Inclusion Consultant, Author, and Public Speaker, Max Masure is advocating for more inclusive systems.*

Who is Max Masure? How did your journey in design begin?

Max Masure: “I am Max Masure (they/them). I am an Ethical UX Researcher, DEI Consultant, Author, and Public Speaker.

I believe in ethics, human-centered and nature-centered design, community-led initiatives, and the liberation of underserved communities. I am a public speaker and I regularly talk about trans inclusion, inner power, ethics, and transformative culture.

I am releasing a book about impostor syndrome and inner power in 2021.

I started my career as a graphic designer but quickly realized that I needed to be involved early on the strategy. I became a UX Designer, Service Designer, before focusing on ethical UX Researcher in the last years.”

Impacting the healthcare industry as well as the civic tech field, why focus on Ethical UX Research and Inclusion Consultancy?

Max Masure: “I came out as trans in 2017 and it changed the way I imagined my career. I became an advocate and activist for trans rights applied to tech. As designers, we have more power than we think. What we design impacts people and communities. We should ask ourselves: “Will it harm or support underserved communities?”

Often, it feels that change is impossible but it is only impossible until we make it happen.“

Out of the deep desire to make the world a safer, more equitable place for people of all underrepresented genders and identities, you co-founded the Argo Collective. How did you merge professional expertise and lived experiences within this reality?

Max Masure: “After a specific incident where I felt unsafe as a trans person in a public space, my designer brain kicked it and I started to imagine a service design workshop where people would be guided to design inclusive products and services. I was doing workshops for many years and it felt natural and powerful to apply service design to inclusion challenges.“

Your product design practice is based on healing and empowering individuals. Which main challenges do you encounter while designing to serve this scope?

Max Masure: “As every UX Designer might experience, it is sometimes difficult to get the buy-in from folks. I deeply focus on the wellbeing and growth of individuals when I design products and services, which is not always the way leadership teams envision their business. I use a lot of my expertise in UX Research to show how customers will react positively to more empathetic and compassionate content.“

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Want to read the rest, please check out the full article on designwanted.com: https://designwanted.com/design/interview-max-masure

You can connect with Max Masure directly at www.MaxMasure.com, and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxmasure/
Their Inner Power Workbook will be released in 2021: http://www.maxmasure.com/inner-power-workbook

If you are a DJN member doing interesting work and would like to be featured in a future newsletter or blog post, please email us at designjusticenetwork@gmail.com.

Would you be willing to share your experiences with the Design Justice Network? There are no prerequisites (including a traditional design background), and past stories have featured members working in a variety of fields such as social work, community organizing, and handicrafts. We make the process easy for you (no writing involved!) and will only share what/how you consent for us to. We are particularly interested in hearing from members outside of Europe and the North American East Coast. If you have questions or interests, please contact lydiahooper@gmail.com.