Empathy Games

Empathy has been a key differentiator in design methodologies for decades, including participatory design. 

However, designers often rely on simplified, commodified empathy tools that create only the appearance of understanding users. These simplifications have prompted designers to question empathy’s limitations. In response, we explore what queering empathy in design might look like by exploring alternative orientations in a series of "empathy games".

Dimensions of Intersectionality
The first game is "Dimensions of Intersectionality" where we created a Rubik's cube with different identity markers on each cube. As participants interact with the cube, they create countless new, unfamiliar combinations.