Breaking Down Inequalities: Empowering Change Through Design / Jaryn Miller / Episode #176

Service Design Show

We must have him on the Show... That's what crossed my mind when I came across Jaryn Miller's recent LinkedIn post.

Jaryn is the service design manager at Headspace Health. You might know Headspace from their popular meditation and mindfulness app, but these days they do a lot more.

So I reached out to Jaryn with an invitation, and luckily, he said accepted. Our conversation took us on a profound personal journey.

It became clear that Jaryn is on a mission—a mission to foster inclusivity and equity within the healthcare system in the USA, leveraging the power of design to do so.

A critical challenge we face as a community is that, often unconsciously, we are still designing for "the majority." This approach has harsh consequences, as individuals who fall outside the average user profile feel unrecognized in the system or, worse, experience harm.

It’s our responsibility to change this. Yet, advocating for change is not enough. We must put in the effort and summon the courage to resist the path of least resistance. If this seems daunting, I totally get it, but rest assured. In this episode, Jaryn shares practical steps you can integrate into your daily design practice to promote inclusivity.

While our conversation primarily focuses on the US healthcare system, the insights shared hold relevance for any environment where inequalities persist. This is a must-watch episode for those seeking to deepen their awareness of the (unintended) consequences of the services we design.

I'll admit that discussing important yet weighty topics such as racism and systemic harm is not always easy. I'm grateful to Jaryn for guiding us through this dialogue.

Enjoy the episode and continue making a positive impact.

- Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to episode 176

05:00 Who is Jaryn

07:00 Lightning round

09:45 What do we need to know

11:15 Jaryn's story

15:30 How did we get here

17:30 Manifestation of disparities

19:45 The role of design

22:00 Being the other

25:00 The north star

27:15 Small things you can do

30:00 Biggest objection

33:00 Importance of leadership

34:30 What success looks like

37:00 Think of the inverse

40:00 Personal journey

43:45 The vision

47:00 Building community

48:30 Closing thoughts

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

* https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarynmiller/

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

The service design team you wish you had around you each and every day.

https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle