This semester, the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking at Tulane University launched “Welcome to the Pluriverse.” Lesley-Ann Noel, professor and associate director for design thinking for social impact, created this project in hopes of sharing the stories of designers she met during her time working at Stanford Design School, attending school in Trinidad, and other experiences. 

The project aims to reach people of all identities across the world. One of Noel’s fellows, Delaney Connor, is currently assisting Noel in the Taylor Center on her new project.

“So, the project is essentially a podcast that creates more dialogue between designers who aren’t the traditional mold of white men, so it is starting this conversation about identity and how that plays into the role of designers and so there is six fellows that work under Lesley,” Connor said. “We are basically working right now within her network of designers, so like people who she went to college with. She’s from Trinidad, so some of her friends back in Trinidad. All the designers come from diverse identities and basically, we just interview them for 30 minutes over a Zoom call.”

This project is a creation in the making, as the Taylor Center has only been working on it for a few months. The presentation of the project to the public is not yet set considering the amount of work that goes into the process of creating these podcasts.

“We are guessing that editing a 30-minute interview will take 20 to 24 hours of work,” Connor said. “So, I work 10 hours a week, so it is kind of just chipping away at it.”

Noel is tackling the project from a designer’s point of view, a product of her background. Her fellows major in a variety of fields, giving them an opportunity to get involved in design and communicate with people of many different identities. Connor has already recorded three podcasts with people from a variety of backgrounds. Her podcasts include people from Los Angeles and Torontoas well as a Tulane staff member.

Noel has also introduced the project to all of the Taylor Center interns and students in her Design Thinking for Collective Impact course, many of whom are planning on participating in the project. Noel and her team are expecting to produce a collection of podcasts with people coming from all walks of life.

“I think to just create more of a platform of discussion on identity within the field of design and so I know the podcast is a first step in making sure a lot of people get to listen to that but also design is so visual so coming up with a way to showcase the designers work visually because you can hear about people talking their designs but you’re kind of just like yeah but can I see it,” Connor said. “But yeah just creating some sort of platform online like Lesley has talked about a book, a sort of coffee table book type thing,”