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Article published In: Cultural Turns in Information Design I
Edited by Juhri Selamet and Nina Hansopaheluwakan Edward
[Information Design Journal 30:1] 2025

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An exploration of critical information design through migrant voices in Dubai’s public transport system

ORCiD logo with link | American University in Dubai
Published online: 22 January 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.25007.sel
Abstract
This study employs a critical information design lens to interrogate whose knowledge is represented and whose voices are excluded in public transport systems. Focusing on migrant workers in Dubai, UAE, it foregrounds issues of equity, representation, and participation in the design of mobility-related information. Drawing on field observations and a participatory workshop with eleven participants, the research brings forward overlooked narratives of navigating buses, metro, and water transport. The findings demonstrate how critical information design can amplify marginalized voices, foster inclusion, and reimagine transport information infrastructures as socially responsive and contextually grounded — moving beyond a narrow focus on clarity and efficiency.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Critical perspective on information design
    • 2.2Equity, representation, and participation in design
    • 2.3Migrant workers and urban mobility in Dubai
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1Research approach
    • 3.2Study context and participants
    • 3.3Data collection
      • 3.3.1Field observation with interview
      • 3.3.2Participatory workshop
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Everyday challenges in navigating transport
    • 4.2Representation gaps and marginalization
    • 4.3Workshop insights: Imagining inclusive systems
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Rethinking information design through a critical lens
    • 5.2Toward inclusive and participatory information design
    • 5.3Contributions to design research and practice
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
References (87)
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