apidays Paris 2022 - Let’s not make the diversity mistake in NoCode, Manon Mercier, HEC Innovation Center Paris

apidays Paris 2022 - APIs the next 10 years: Software, Society, Sovereignty, Sustainability
December 14, 15 & 16, 2022

Let’s not make the diversity mistake in NoCode
Manon Mercier, Product Builder Data & Impact at HEC Innovation Center Paris
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Transcript

1. Let’s not make the same Divsersity mistakes than with software engineering 15th December 2022 Manon Mercier NoCode & Diversity Impact Product Builder @HEC Innovation Center
2. 2023 SERIES OF EVENT New York May 16&17 Australia October 11&12 Singapore April 12&13 Helsinki & North June 5&6 Paris SEPTEMBER London November 15&16 June 28-30 SILICON VALLEY March 14&15 Dubai & Middle East February 22&23
3. Who are you ? Software engineer* ? NoCode Maker* ? Product Manager* ? *Or smth like this
4. You'd rather consider yourself as a.... Beginner in No Code* ? Expert* ? *Or smth like this
5. You've probably heard that... NoCode + Profesionnal retraining = 🔥 1 No need for specific profile, NoCode tools are equally open to everyone 2
6. You've probably heard that... 3 Tomorrow you can earn 500€/day & work from anywhere in the world The world will need 100 000 professionnal NoCode makers by 2025 4
7. You've probably heard that... Everyone could be one of them, you just need a computer and motivation 5 6 No code tools are easy to use
8. You've probably heard that... You can change the world with NoCode tools, by making it more inclusive 7 8 NoCode community is super diverse and inclusive. And Tech will be so too ❤️
9. But when you started, maybe you've realized... If not, it means you're lucky (and probably priviledged, but it's ok !)
10. There are 32% of women VS 68% men 77% of Nocoders studied Scientifics, IT or Economics Sorry guys, but let’s break received ideas : No-Code isn’t so inclusive yet 72% of Nocoders have higher Degree than Bac+3 A 2022 survey on 375 people within NoCode France community shows that... VS 30% of the French population between 25 and 44 years (INSEE)
11. What do you see ?
12. But WHY ? Especially if we have all those good intentions about NoCode ?
13. 1 Women are underrepresented in IT/digital : they are only 30%. And only 17% of software engineers (Cf Ada Tech School) 3 In 2021, on 800 teenagers, only 33 % of the girls were encouraged by their parents to study IT/digital. VS 61% of the boys (Cf Ipsos/Epitech) 4 In 2020, only 1 startup on 5 created was founded by a women (or a mixed team) (Cf Sista barometer) NoCode isn't outside of society 2 41% of the women in IT leave their job after 10 years of career. VS only 17% for men (Cf Ada Tech School) IT/Tech is a man's man's World...
14. Intentions aren't enough 1 Good intentions : necessary to start 2 Acknowledge social inequities : realize that advantages & opportunities aren't equally distributed Diversity isn't about willingness, it is about turning into efficient actions. 3 Activate Diversity : define clear goals, metrics & roadmap to get there 4 Embody inclusion : constant & dynamic process to respect differences
15. 13% of women in software engineering Most of the jobs linked to those are masculine 13% of women in construction But why women hands cannot use them ? 🖐🏼
16. 13% of women in construction 13% of women in software engineering No tool is discriminating/inclusive by nature : our social uses and practices creates exclusion/inclusion. Multiple factors : lack of knowledge of opportunities, sexist behaviors, stereotypes, gender gaps in education
17. So finally... Just because you don't need to code ? How could No-Code tools fight and replace strong social standards / behaviours /stereotypes as if by magic ?
18. Ok so... This being said... WHAT should we do ? How could we make NoCode actually more diverse and inclusive ?
19. And WHAT ABOUT all those speeches about NoCode, full of hope, good intentions (& marketing) ? Should we throw everything away ?
20. I think a nuanced opinion is required
21. What's for sure It's impossible to fight something that doesn't exist No data = No measure = No diversity assumptions ! Let's be aware of the big lack of Diversity in Tech
22. Keeping saying we are so much diverse and inclusive, without being aware of it : best way to make sure we’ll never be.
23. Hello ! We are inclusive here because we invite everyone The example of an inadequate party
24. “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance” Verna Myers
25. NoCode Traditionnal Software engineering OMG I think this may be an opportunity window for more inclusion in Tech !! This being said... We're not gonna miss it this time !!
26. 1 But as it's mostly marketing, if this inclusion isn't for real : the lie can be twice as violent ! 3 No previous use of boolean or algorythmic logic before NoCode = more struggles to get this new way of thinking. 2 NoCode tools are abstractions of programming languages, so they are based on it. And to use a tool, you need to understand its logic. Speeches of easiness and inclusivity of NoCode can have some positive effects = bring new people to IT and engineering world Let's not throw the baby with the bath water. But... *Freely inspired by Carole David & Alexis Kovalenko speeches, who made a huge work on spreading Diversity & Inclusion culture within NoCode France community
27. 1 DON'T underestimate what it takes to become a NoCoder. Do's and Don'ts * *Freely inspired by a roundtable organized by Maestro School with Carole David, Ghita Benotmane & Marcy Ericka Charollois (December 7, 2022) 2 DON'T give unsolicited opinion or advice. It can be really toxic & unproductive. Even though you had good intentions. 3 DON'T think NoCode tools are user friendly by nature.
28. Do's and Don'ts * *Freely inspired by a roundtable organized by Maestro School with Carole David, Ghita Benotmane & Marcy Ericka Charollois (December 7, 2022) 1 2 DO be aware & spread this idea of a whole new logic to get. Normalize it to newbies & beginners, for them to feel legit & confident. DO show to the people around you that you are making mistakes too, that you are still testing and experimenting things. 3 DO learn to listen to beginners, to their experience and learning path with NoCode tools. Even though you are an expert.
29. 4 5 DO think about how you act as an expert, how do you give space to those who aren’t. Work on puting your ego aside. DO teach people how to fish, rather than giving them a fish. Work to empower them instead of giving them solutions. *Freely inspired by a roundtable organized by Maestro School with Carole David, Ghita Benotmane & Marcy Ericka Charollois (December 7, 2022) Do's and Don'ts *
30. Do's and Don'ts * *Freely inspired by a roundtable organized by Maestro School with Carole David, Ghita Benotmane & Marcy Ericka Charollois (December 7, 2022) 6 7 DO try to give more space and exposure to underrepresented groups in NoCode (Women, people with disability, racialized people, LGBTQIA people, people with less graduations…). DO create role models that aren’t extraordinary. Allow a "without ambition" use of NoCode. 8 DO be aware of your own unsconcious biases and priviledges (we all have some), and don’t be afraid to voice them aloud.
31. Personal example Come from studies in Political Sciences, super far from engineering, mathematics and logic. Accidentally landed in the IT and NoCode, and decided to convert into it. Today : Product Builder specialized in Social Impact, but the way to get there was sometimes really hard ! Good motivation to jump into it, and to feel legitimate. "NoCode is so easy & accessible" So much more efforts & time than for people with IT/Scientifical/Economics background. But with a retrospective... Hard to carve out a place in this world And to have the proper tools to learn the new logics I hadn’t. I would have 100% prefered to know there was other issues I was fighting against Or just to use NoCode tools, & create from them. And still, I am aware that I've been super lucky & priviledged !
32. Conclusion NoCode tools : smaller amount of practitioners and shorter learning curve than software engineering. Nice opportunity window for more Diversity in IT/Digital. But NoCode isn’t more inclusive by nature. Let’s stop spreading this idea ! It’s our uses that make something more or less inclusive, not the topic itself. *Freely inspired by Carole David speeches, who made a huge work on spreading Diversity & Inclusion culture within NoCode France community
33. NoCode Traditionnal Software engineering If we really want to make this No-Code revolution more inclusive, we need to work on it, to transform this really nice opportunity window into reality !
34. Thank you Have a great day ! 15th December 2022 QR Code lien présentation Manon Mercier Impact Product Builder @HEC Innovation Center