We are living through an extraordinary period in which many European countries are questioning the systematic patriarchal construction of their language. Each language has to juggle with its grammatical and syntactic specificities to represent all human beings, starting with women, both in written and spoken form. Although this practice is not officially recognised and still in the experimental phase, many media have chosen to use it for the sake of inclusivity.
Even more so than in English or French, the German language offers a lot of ways to set gender-inclusive writing in texts (see chart above). As a communication designer, I was asked to draw up the inclusive writing rules for a German start-up. So I came up with a way of making it easier for my colleagues to apply the company's writing guidelines. What if an app did it for them? The RespeX app allows to quickly reformulate texts with gender-inclusive writing to suit the target public with nuance and respect.
Before drawing anything, I've set a user flow. This chart shows the path the user will take in the app to complete the inclusive reformulation of its text. It helps to define when the correct information will be presented, and allows the user to complete desired tasks in as few steps as possible. It obliges to think through the product’s interface from the user’s perspective.
After the scribbles, wireframing helps to clarify the first ideas and to communicate them quickly to the team. We can see here several versions of the same concept that will be discussed with the team.
I have identified three important functions that the app requires: a gender-inclusive writting checker, a dictionary that offers word alternatives and a forum where the user could exchange and discuss ideas to further develop inclusive spelling.
The main feature of the inclusive writing checker is the ability to rephrase your text in an inclusive way. You can also chose the adressed user to better match the tone of the rephrasing. You can choose between culture, university, LGBTQI*, visually and hearing impaired, association or science. The second option allows you to choose the symbol system you want to use, espacially true for the German language.
The options chosen play with the delicate balance between the readability of the text and the visualisation of its statements. For example, the use of the asterisk in German - Benutzer*in - is a strong symbol and very present in the text, which can hinder reading.
Otherwise, the participatory dictionary offers alternative words that will complete the practice of inclusive writing. Each user has the opportunity to add a suggestion to enrich the debate and facilitate this practice.
Logo, fonts, icons – and, more importantly for this project, colours – are part of the design system that give consistency to the overall user experience. The colours chosen reflect the rainbow flag, which reflects respect and tolerance regardless of gender and sexual orientation. The gentle colour gradient that covers the surface expresses the kindness and care with which we want to treat each other.
