When decentered people have the tools to exist, resist, and thrive, so do we all.

Purple line art of geometric shapes and lines creating a circuit-like pattern on fabric
Abstract geometric pattern with purple lines on a gray background creating a circuit-like pattern on fabric
Purple line drawing resembling a simplistic tree or network creating a circuit-like pattern on fabric

The De|Center is the home of the Design from the Margins methodology. We do deep work with decentered communities to make concrete changes to technology tools that address systemic injustice and advance human rights.

Learn more about our work here, subscribe to our newsletter here, or get in touch with us.

NEW PUBLICATION! Now inviting comment.

We are inviting feedback from tech builders—whether in commercial tech, non-profit, or open-source spaces—on our new guide, Design from the Margins: A Methodology to De-weaponize Tech.

It offers a short outline of the Design from the Margins (DFM) framework and is designed for those committed to creating just, and rights-protective technologies that resist being weaponized for surveillance, policing, or harm.

Cover of 'Design from the Margins: A Methodology to Deweaponize Our Tech', featuring a yellow background with multicolored stripes and a logo for 'the DeCenter'. The text notes 'Discussion Draft February 2025'.
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What Is Design from the Margins?

Design From the Margins (DFM) is a design methodology for more just, equitable, safer tech that centers the most impacted and decentered users, from ideation to production.

DFM is grounded in the knowledge that when those most marginalized are designed for, we are all designed for. 

Abstract illustration with concentric purple and orange shapes. Central text reads "all users." Side text states "Design from the Margins, Design with the Decentered." Arrows connect the shapes and text pointing to the "decentered".
Various lines and dots in magenta on a bluish background, resembling a simple circuit-like pattern on fabric
Purple maze-like pattern on a gray background resembling a circuit-like pattern on fabric

Using DFM, we meet people where they are, with the systems they use, basing our approach in harm reduction. Through deep community-focused research, methods, and strategies we work to block extractivism from decentered communities and enforce their power in building better and safer tech. 

Learn about how we work >

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Who is a decentered user?

Decentered users are the groups most at risk and under-supported in the relevant context. In the DFM methodology, technology design is not separate from the broader historical, political, social, and institutional contexts that surround and impact human interactions. Through understanding and establishing who is most impacted by existing power structures, we can also understand who would most likely be harmed when technology is weaponized.

Read more >

Diagram with layered circles on the left and a bell curve on the right. The layers represent 'mainstream users,' 'marginalized users,' and 'decentered users,' with mainstream at the center. The bell curve shows these groups distributed across it, with mainstream in the center and marginalized and decentered on the sides.