Queer Interface
Pattern Library
A structured archive of interface patterns that challenge normative assumptions about identity, gender, family, and representation in digital systems.
Featured Patterns
View all →Archive
Problem Archive
A documented record of interface patterns that cause documented harm to users with non-normative identities, relationships, or bodies. Each entry names the assumption, identifies who it harms, and suggests design alternatives.
Documentation
Real Product Examples
Design decisions from existing platforms that addressed normative interface assumptions — with commentary on their significance and remaining limitations.
Tool
Compare Patterns
Examine the differences between normative interface approaches and inclusive alternatives. Understanding the contrast helps designers recognize assumptions in their own work.
Explore
Search & Filter
Context
About this Library
The intellectual framework, methodology, and positionality behind the Queer Interface Pattern Library.
Why this exists
Digital interfaces are not neutral. Every design decision about how systems model identity, family, relationships, and language encodes assumptions — usually the assumptions of a dominant, cishetero-normative, Anglo-European cultural context. These assumptions cause real harm: misgendering in medical systems, forced legal name disclosure that outs trans users, binary fields that erase non-binary people entirely.
This library exists to make those assumptions visible and to offer documented, practicable alternatives. It is a research resource for designers, a teaching tool for educators, and a reference framework for practitioners doing equity-focused product work.
Positionality
This library was created by Vidhi Raghvani, a researcher working at the intersection of HCI, queer theory, and critical design studies. The patterns here are informed by a feminist and intersectional methodology — one that attends to power, context, and the ways that design choices are never simply technical.
This work draws on queer HCI scholarship, feminist science and technology studies, and community knowledge. It is ongoing and partial, not comprehensive. I am committed to transparency about those limits — see the completeness indicators on each pattern.
Methodology
Patterns were selected through a combination of literature review (queer HCI papers, CSCW and CHI proceedings), analysis of existing interface systems, and community observation. Each pattern documents: the normative assumption it challenges, the harm that assumption produces, a design alternative, implementation notes, and reflective questions for practitioners.
Patterns marked Draft are incomplete or under active development. Patterns marked Stable have been reviewed and are considered well-documented. This distinction is deliberate — researchers deserve honesty about the scope of work.
How to use this resource
This library is designed to be used as a reference during design critique, as a teaching resource in HCI and design courses, and as a starting point for research. Each pattern is self-contained. You may navigate by category, search for specific patterns, or browse the Problem Archive for harm-centred entry points.
If you use this library in your work, please cite it. A citation block is provided below.
How to cite this library
Reference list
Raghvani, V. (2026). Queer Interface Pattern Library. https://queerinterfacepatternlib.netlify.app/
In-text citation
(Raghvani, 2026)
Participate
Contribute
This library is a living resource. Researchers, practitioners, and community members with relevant knowledge are encouraged to suggest new patterns, flag gaps, or report inaccuracies.
Suggest a pattern
Know of an interface pattern that challenges normative design assumptions and isn't in the library? Share the problem, the design alternative, and any relevant references.
Open contribution form →Flag an issue
Found a factual error, an incomplete pattern, a harmful omission, or a pattern that misrepresents community experience? Please let me know.
Open contribution form →Suggest a scholar
Know a researcher whose work on queer HCI, feminist design, trans studies, or critical interface theory should be included in the Scholars index?
Open contribution form →Get in touch
For academic collaborations, teaching partnerships, or substantive feedback on the framework and methodology, email is preferred.
Email vidhiraghvani.ux@gmail.com →A note on community involvement: This library's methodology centres community knowledge alongside academic literature. Contributions from people with lived experience of normative interface harm are especially valued. All suggestions are reviewed; not all will be incorporated, but all are read.
Updates
Changelog
A log of additions, revisions, and updates to the library. This resource is actively maintained — this page gives returning visitors a record of what's changed.
Library launched publicly (v1.0)
Initial public release of the Queer Interface Pattern Library. 42 patterns across 7 categories, 20 scholars in the reference index, Problem Archive with 12 documented harms, and 8 real-world product examples.
Reference
Scholars & Key Works
Researchers, theorists, and practitioners whose work forms the intellectual foundation of queer HCI, feminist design, and critical interface studies. Click a name or link to visit their work.