Florence Okoye tells us why empathy is good, but not enough, in the world of design. In an era of deep minds and deep learning, Florence believes it's time we start to design deeper and empower each other in the process. Florence Okoye is a UX and service designer interested in the application of design thinking to complex engineering systems. She is founder of Afrofutures_UK, an interdisciplinary collective dedicated to exploring how technology both shapes and reimagines the black experience. They regularly host workshops in comic creation and coding (from Arduino to web development) and engage academics through an annual conference which Florence has curated since 2015. Inspired by afrofuturist writers and thinkers such as Octavia Butler, Kodwo Eshun and Reynaldo Anderson, Afrofutures_UK is especially interested in using creative technology to reveal untold histories of the black community to develop a more intersectional future.

Okoye is a Birmingham Open Media (BOM) Fellow, and also a facilitator with community engagement projects via Spaghetti Jams which aims to spread awareness about design thinking both as a methodology for self-empowerment and addressing local issues.

www.finokoye.com This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx