Avoid Harming Your Team and Users: Promoting Care and Brand Reputation with Trauma-Informed UX Practices

Key Insights

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  Trauma is a universal experience, but deeply individualized and broad, including types like racial, cultural, developmental, and historical trauma.

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  Secondary or vicarious trauma affects researchers and tech workers exposed to users' trauma stories, requiring specific care strategies.

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  Retraumatization occurs when trauma survivors are reminded of their trauma involuntarily, an outcome trauma-informed design seeks to prevent.

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  The six SAMHSA trauma-informed principles—safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural humility—form the foundation for trauma-informed practice.

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  Trauma-informed care originated in social work and clinical fields but is increasingly relevant and adaptable to UX and technology design.

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  Tech products can accidentally retraumatize users by ignoring context, such as insensitive content reminders or inaccessible interfaces.

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  Implementing trauma-informed design is akin to adding essential ingredients in a salad; all principles are necessary and must be combined thoughtfully.

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  Being trauma-informed is not just ethical; it also improves user trust, engagement, employee well-being, and ultimately business outcomes.

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  Bridging the language and cultural gap between clinical trauma work and UX design is challenging but fruitful for creating more compassionate products.

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  Lived experience is invaluable, but individuals with trauma need proper support and training to safely help others without harm.

Notable Quotes