Following the DFM methodology, once the most-impacted (“decentered”) cases are identified, they should be designed for directly—not through retrofitting—and their voices and needs should be setting the rules of engagement throughout the processes. This means (and is not limited to) non-extractive continued relationships and mutual ownership of final outlines.

Their experiences and needs for harm reduction are placed at the core of the build, and ultimately influence the final product that is delivered to the general user base.

DFM interventions acknowledge that technology is not neutral or an inherently positive force. When the expertise that decentered communities possess about a technology’s broader impacts and harms is ignored, that technology will perpetuate those harms and further become a tool of oppression.