"An assets-based design approach to promote digital equity for Latino youth and their communities"

Postdoctoral Scholar Veronica Ahumada-Newhart (Ph.D. ’18) is first author, with J. Maya Hernandez, of an article in the ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work Workshop on Assets-based Design, (CSCW 2020) on Latino youth’s use of digital technologies to support access to health information. The title of the article is “An assets-based design approach to promote digital equity for Latino youth and their communities.”
 
Ahumada-Newhart’s research interests include child health and human development, virtual inclusion, human-computer interaction, human-robot interaction, and emerging technologies that facilitate learning, human development, and social connectedness. Currently, she is an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in UC Irvine's Institute for Clinical Translational Science, where her research encompasses strong interdisciplinary efforts between UCI's School of Medicine, School of Education, Department of Informatics, and Department of Cognitive Sciences. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, Ahumada-Newhart served as Director of Oral Health programs for the state of Montana. In addition to her Ph.D. in Education, Ahumada-Newhart earned a M.Ed. in Adult Education from the University of Georgia and a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Loma Linda University.  

​Abstract
 
Digital technologies have recently shaped the way in which individuals and communities interact. This paper examines the unique social contexts of Latino youth and their use of digital technologies to support access to health information and extend social support. The design and use of digital health tools are complex and should not take a one-size-fits-all approach. In order to better understand community assets and systemic issues of power, this paper explores interactions between developmental, contextual, and technological factors that may empower Latino youth to use digital tools to support their wellbeing, especially in the era of COVID-19 (C-19). Therefore, we first review the nuances of culture and behaviors of Latino youth to highlight opportunities for strength identification support. Next, we review traditional co-design processes and how they might be refined to support an assets-based approach. Finally, we present an assets-based approach and framework to be used as a lens through which designers can gain better understanding of Latino youth and their use of digital technologies to navigate unique challenges. Through this approach, designers may avoid amplifying structural inequities and discriminatory processes in marginalized communities.