Missing in Action. Stories of Women of (Digital) Design

Abstract

In recent years the focus on the role of women in the design world has opened up significant spaces for exploration and research. However, in worlds bordering on other disciplines such as Information Communication Technologies, STEM and Computer Science, i.e. the world that involves design in the digital field, the mapping of their contribution becomes blurred. The article addresses the problem of research and mapping the presence of women in the field of digital technologies and design according to a historical perspective. In particular, it addresses and analyses the research context and the lack of documentation and sources that often highlight not the absence of female protagonists, but rather the lack of their narrative. In particular, it suggests a revision focused on the (under)representation of women in knowledge gatekeepers, such as Wikipedia, or inside the community represented by tech and international conferences, as a symptom and need for a change of perspective.

Keywords

• women and technologies
• digital designers
• women of the digital design
• digital design history
• women in design history