Tools of Protest

Defining a focus point

The first task of our Final Major Project was to dig deep and settle on a topic of interest. Having and this was my first draft of thought: Activist struggles for justice take physical shape in flags and barricades, in street theatre puppets and slogans painted on umbrellas, in slingshots and soup kitchens. Sometimes the function of these objects is primarily symbolic. Other times they reply to force and serve life-saving purposes for protesters. Used to disrupt the status quo, they extend the agency of their users and become primitive justice machines at work. I will be exploring and designing a tool or a way of enabling activists protest in way that causes less harm to people or property.

Learning Outcomes

Trickling down from previous briefs, likewise the following would be the learning outcomes from my individual approach (Enquiry, Knowledge, Process, Realisation):

• To produce advanced User Experience Eesign practice underpinned by scholarly research commensurate with study at MA level.
• Demonstrate advanced user experience design practice in a self-directed context that critically interrogates broad cultural themes and complex concepts.
• Define a research question and carry out an appropriate information and literature review.
• Produce an academic report that provides a critical context for both your practice and the subject.

Background

As a Ugandan, the choice to delve into the study of Protest as my research area was deeply rooted in the historical and political turbulence that has shaped the narrative of my homeland. Uganda's complex history of political unrest, marked by periods of authoritarian rule and civil strife, has necessitated a critical examination of the methods employed by individuals and groups to express dissent and effect change.

Looking at Donella Meadows, a pioneering environmental scientist and systems thinker who wrote a famous article called Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a Systemin 1991. She explains how complex systems, such as ecosystems, economies, or societies, can be changed by identifying and influencing the leverage points, which are the places where a small shift can produce big changes in the system's behavior.

By focusing on the tools of protest, the aim was to unravel the intricate tapestry of resistance woven by my fellow Ugandans, exploring the strategies and mechanisms t hey have employed to advocate for justice, human rights, and political reform. Through this research, I aspired to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the socio‐political dynamics in Uganda and shed light on the resilience and determination of those who have sought to challenge oppressive systems through various means of protest.

By focusing on the tools of protest, the aim was to unravel the intricate tapestry of resistance woven by my fellow Ugandans, exploring the strategies and mechanisms t hey have employed to advocate for justice, human rights, and political reform. Through this research, I aspired to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the socio‐political dynamics in Uganda and shed light on the resilience and determination of those who have sought to challenge oppressive systems through various means of protest.

Exploring Protests as a Tool

Mobile Money and Social Media Tax Protests in Kampala

In 2018, the Parliament of Uganda passed the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill that introduced a levy of 200 Ugandan Shillings (£0.04) per day for access to a range of online services including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, Skype and others. This also saw Ugandans pay a 1% tax on all mobile money transactions. Fuelled by mass outrage, protests were staged on Kampala streets.

Georgia's Protests, 2019

A second occurence I came across were Georgia's protests in November 2019 which where triggered by the the dropping of proposed constitutional amendments to change Georgia's election system from a mixed system to a fully proportional one. They demonstrated how protests play an important part in the civil and political life of democratic societies.

I Can't Breathe Protests

A third occurence were the I Can't Breathe protests from the events following the death of George Floyd bring us to the importance of the Media covering protests. This protest signified that the moments of protest should be memorable, they must be documented and we must see them, all of them.

Finding a design opportunity

Through these events, we get to see how people use different approaches during protests, with a more vivid look at the tools in use. This led me into my second research stage.

Body-storming

Through this research method, I explored the use of post-its as medium of “no face” communication by sticking them on my face and sharing them with a select group of people and gathering feedback

An extra layer of care

However, Meadows further argued that the deeper leverage points are often counterintuitive and difficult to manipulate, but they have the most potential to transform a system in a desired direction. She also warned that intervening in a system can have unintended consequences and require constant monitoring and adjustment. She encouraged systems thinkers to be humble, curious, and creative when trying to find and use leverage points.

Feedback

• Zuzana noted that this was rather a polarising topic and I needed to be mindful of who I was designing for and to whose benefit the protests were for.
• Harry noted that there was an opportunity to work with current, important events and that was if I was really careful with getting my ethical positioning right. He further mentioned that there was an opportunity to speak to active protestors in XR or JustStopOil for great on‐the‐ground research.
• Rebecca noted that theor

References

Donella Meadows' Leverage Points. Available here.

Foreign Centre Policy. Available here.

Protests in America. Available here.