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Research / LASTASOFT PERSPECTIVES
Designing for the Diaspora Means Asking Better Questions
A research agenda for products that connect language, culture, community, and everyday life.
Photo: Amanuel Kebede / Unsplash
Avoid a single story
“The diaspora” is not one person with one set of needs. Language confidence, location, family relationships, and familiarity with cultural traditions can vary. Product research should make space for these differences instead of letting a broad audience label stand in for understanding people.
Study moments, not just preferences
A productive interview can explore a recent situation: finding an ingredient, joining a gathering, or trying to explain a word to a child. What happened? What made it difficult? What did the person do next? These are questions we would bring to research, not findings from a completed study.
Let the differences inform the design
The goal is not to turn culture into a visual theme alone. It is to understand where language, practical needs, and relationships change the way a product should work. Majet, Feleg, and Warka offer different starting points for that exploration. The important next step is to test the assumptions with the people each product hopes to serve.