Diversity in Design

Studies show diverse teams alter group dynamics in positive ways, ultimately creating better results. But understanding diversity goes beyond your team. The responsibility falls on you, the designer, to bring diverse and inclusive ideas to the table. In this session, we’ll talk about diversity and approaches for creating inclusive designs that connect deeper to your audience.

Transcript

1. Diversity in Design
2. Hi, I’m John Blackwell – Experience Architect – Graphic Design and film background – 9 Years in “the biz” – Dog dad to Mason
3. Thank You unsplash.com
12. I was living in a bubble
13. My habits were removing diversity from my feed
14. Not only on my Google feed, but on my Instagram, and my Goodreads shelf
15. Fewer opposing opinions Fewer differing ideas Fewer chances to see an alternate perspective
16. How else is this lack of diversity impacting me?
17. Diversity Cognitive Education level Non-binary gender Personality Political affiliation Socioeconomic status Weight/height Life experience Immigration status Non binary gender Age Disability Familial Status Sex Genetic Information National Origin Pregnancy Race & Ethnicity Religion Veteran status
18. I’m millennial 70% deaf male queer vision impaired middle class cis-gendered college graduate
20. What experiences do I have?
21. Your Diversity Exposure Race & Ethnicity Religion National Origin Age Gender Disability Pregnancy Familial Status Genetic Information Sexual orientation Socioeconomic status Education level New gender identity Weight Veteran status Political affiliation Cognitive Personality
23. I need to do better.
24. As a designer, I am responsible for: 1. being aware of my diverse audience 2. understanding the impact of my design choices 3. creating purposeful & inclusive designs
25. 1 Being aware of my diverse audience
26. Riddle Time
27. A father and his son are in a car accident. The father is killed and the son is seriously injured. The son is taken to the hospital where the surgeon says, “I cannot operate, because this boy is my son.”
28. The surgeon was the kid’s mom.
29. Bias Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
30. Biases Explicit Conscious Implicit Subconscious
31. Implicit Biases Subconscious drivers that allow us to make fast decisions based on past experiences. Instinctual Non-conscious responses to our environment that are hardwired and unchanging. Learned Biases that we pick up over time based on our interactions and other environmental stimuli.
32. Behaviors Perception Attitude
33. Bias can be ok. Choice-supportive bias When you choose something, you tend to feel positive about it, even if the choice has flaws. You think that your dog is awesome — even if it bites people every once in a while — and that other dogs are stupid, since they're not yours. Isolation effect When multiple homogeneous stimuli are presented, the stimulus that differs from the rest is more likely to be remembered.
34. Biases can be bad. Age bias Going to a website like LinkedIn and setting up a profile, only to find that the DOB starts at 1979 Racial Bias When iPods were auctioned on eBay, researchers randomly varied the skin color on the hand holding the iPod. A caucasian hand holding the iPod received 21% more offers than a person of color hand.
35. How Implicit Bias Hurts Covert Often hidden or rationalized with an explanation that society is more willing to accept. More Frequent Because it’s subconscious, if it does not affect you, you are less likely to notice. Emotional Drain May happen on a daily basis, building and accumulating over long periods of time. No Legal Recourse If it is so difficult to identify and assess subtle bias, making it hard to substantiate in court.
36. How does bias affect design?
37. 2 Understanding the impact of my design choices
39. Bias in Design • Color selection • Typography • Image selection • Layout • Copywriting
40. Age Cognitive Disability Ethnicity Education level Familial Status Gender Genetic Information National Origin New gender identity Personality Political affiliation Pregnancy Race Religion Sexual orientation Socioeconomic status Veteran status Weight
41. Age Cognitive Disability Ethnicity Education level Familial Status Gender Genetic Information National Origin New gender identity Personality Political affiliation Pregnancy Race Religion Sexual orientation Socioeconomic status Veteran status Weight
42. Age Cognitive Disability Ethnicity Education level Familial Status Gender Genetic Information National Origin New gender identity Personality Political affiliation Pregnancy Race Religion Sexual orientation Socioeconomic status Veteran status Weight
43. Good examples exist.
48. When bias is removed, inclusion is maximized!
49. How can I be better?
50. 3 Creating functional & inclusive designs
51. “Design is the process of intentionally creating something while simultaneously considering it's objective, function, economics, sociocultural factors, and aesthetics.” – Kim Soko Schaefer
52. How to make inclusive designs
53. Pop your bubble.
54. Find the patterns. • Where do you get inspiration from? • Who do you follow? • Who is not represented? Seek out different and new. Follow them and see what they say.
55. Be open to their experiences.
56. It’s not easy. • You won’t be able to relate • Try to see through their lens • Awareness is the goal
57. Design a little more
58. It takes dedication. • Yes it takes longer • Deeper Design Exploration • What if you designed for… • Someone not from this country • Someone that has PTSD • Someone in retirement
59. Even when we take steps to diversify, we continue to be influenced by biases.
60. It’s an ongoing process, but it’s worth it.
61. It’s not about perfection. It’s about knowledge & compassion.
62. Take the first step & pop your bubble.
63. Thank you