Design Matters DEI & Design Masterclass: Inviting People In

I gave this talk as part of Design Matters' DEI & Design Masterclass on April 19, 2023.

The rise of all-remote and hybrid work environments has affected our access to the collaborative environments we enjoyed when we were in person. It inadvertently builds walls that can silo us from our teammates. So it’s even more important that we make efforts to maintain connections and make our teammates feel genuinely welcomed. When people know they belong, teams can thrive, collaborate, and accomplish amazing things!

In this talk, we’ll consider the benefits of including people in our circles again. We’ll cover how to identify your team’s perspectives, the ones it is missing, and why proactively inviting them matters. We’ll also talk about approaches to inviting people in.

Transcript

1. 19 April 2023 | Design Matters DEI & Design Masterclass
   INVITING PEOPLE IN
   Michelle Chin
   Design Advocate, zeroheight
   @soysaucechin
   

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2. Diverse teams are great!
   Unique ideas!
   Creative
   disagreements
   Diverse thought
   More
   productivity
   “Why Diverse and Inclusive Teams Are the Engines of Innovation” from Great Place to Work. Frans Johansson, June 2020.
   

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7. I agree, but it’s a lot
   of work.
   Well, I’m not sure
   where to start.
   Actually, I’m really busy.
   HR is working on this, let’s
   wait to see what they say.
   It’ll take some work, but it’s
   important.
   That might take
   awhile. You can still take action,
   though.
   The e!ort doesn’t have to be big.
   There are things you can fit in.
   No worries, we’ll cover that in
   this talk!
   

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8. Step 1. Reflect on who you are
   • Before you can invite
   others in, you need to
   understand who you are
   and who your team is.
   • The Positionality wheel by
   Lesley-Anne Noel
   Languages I speak
   & why
   Who am I?
   Race & Ethnicity
   Age
   Gender & Sexuality
   Ability / Disability
   Marital Status
   What do I do for
   a living?
   Level of education
   Class or status
   today
   Class or status as
   a child
   Parental Status
   Where I grew up
   “Learning to Recognize Exclusion” by Lesley-Ann Noel and Marcelo Paiva (Journal of Usability Studies, Vol 16. Issue 2. Feb 2021.
   

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9. Positionality
   Wheel
   Languages I
   speak & why
   Who am I?
   Race &
   Ethnicity Age
   Gender &
   Sexuality
   Ability /
   Disability
   Marital Status
   What do I do
   for a living?
   Level of
   education
   Class or
   status today
   Class or
   status as a
   child
   Parental
   Status
   Where I grew
   up
   Asian
   American
   Masters in
   UX
   Chinese &
   Japanese
   Neuro-
   diverse
   

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10. As a team
    activity
    Languages I
    speak & why
    Who are
    we?
    Race &
    Ethnicity Age
    Gender &
    Sexuality
    Ability /
    Disability
    Marital Status
    What do I do
    for a living?
    Level of
    education
    Class or
    status today
    Class or
    status as a
    child
    Parental
    Status
    Where I grew
    up
    

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11. Step 2. Identify perspectives you’re missing
    Positionality Wheel review
    • Question: “What are
    other aspects unlike
    mine?
    • It’s not just opposites.
    Life isn’t binary.
    • The gaps are who you
    could invite in
    Languages I
    speak & why
    English
    English
    English
    English
    English
    Spanish
    Ukrainian
    Hindi High
    school
    Spanish
    ??
    ??
    ??
    

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12. Step 2. Identify perspectives you’re missing
    Positionality Wheel review
    • Question: “What are
    other aspects unlike
    mine?
    • It’s not just opposites.
    Life isn’t binary.
    • The gaps are who you
    could invite in
    Languages I
    speak & why
    English
    English
    English
    English
    English
    Spanish
    Ukrainian
    Hindi High
    school
    Spanish
    ??
    ??
    ??
    Arabic
    languages
    East Asian
    languages
    German
    

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13. Inviting people in takes intention
    and some effort.
    It doesn’t have to happen overnight.
    

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14. Step 3. Inviting people in
    Quick
    fixes
    Long-term
    e!orts
    Usability
    testing
    Ask for
    feedback within
    your company
    Hire and cultivate a “full
    perspective” team
    

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15. Usability testing
    • Test your site or product
    with your users
    • Invite participants that
    reflect your users
    • Invite people who’s
    perspectives were missing
    from the design process
    

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16. Ask for feedback within your company
    • Talk to other teams for
    feedback and perspectives
    you might not have
    • Customer success, Sales,
    Marketing, Employee
    Resource Groups
    Languages I
    speak & why
    English Spanish
    Ukrainian
    Hindi
    East Asian
    languages
    Arabic
    languages
    German
    

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17. Hire a “full-perspective” team
    • This can take e!ort and
    time
    • Can be going out of your
    way - a lot of systems in
    place provide shortcuts, but
    might not be equitable.
    • The value it provides is
    worth it!
    

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18. It’s not about ticking all the boxes
    • Creating a “full
    perspective” team isn’t
    just getting to this
    step.
    • In many ways it’s just
    the beginning
    • This is the “invite”
    

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19. Inviting people __
    in
    

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20. Not fitting in
    

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21. Feeling like I didn’t belong
    

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22. How could he say
    those things?!
    I have to say
    something and
    defend my race.
    Everyone is looking
    at me to validate
    this!
    How do I stay
    calm and not
    blow up!?
    I hope this doesn’t
    end in retaliation.
    My internal reaction all at once
    

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23. Let’s avoid this
    

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24. Step 4. Really inviting people in
    Send invites
    Think about
    dietary needs
    Welcome guests
    Engage in
    conversation
    Reflect on the
    enriching, fun evening
    

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25. When your new hire arrives
    Make them feel welcome
    • Pair them up with a buddy
    for onboarding
    • Politely identify any
    accommodations they might
    need
    • Listen and take a genuine
    interest in the conversation
    Is there anything I can
    get you to ensure you can
    be successful here?
    

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26. Engage in conversation
    Hear di!erent perspectives
    • Be open to hearing new ideas
    • Avoid dismissing or judging
    • Act with curiosity
    

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27. Cultivate conversation
    Build a safe space and encourage contribution
    • Build psychological safety
    • Help dismantle biases
    • Listen and make space for
    people
    Psychological safety
    • The ability to be yourself without
    fearing negative consequences
    because of who you are.
    • You can take risks without fear
    of judgement.
    • Teammates feel accepted and
    respected.
    

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28. Cultivate conversation
    Build a safe space and encourage contribution
    • Donut chats
    • Onboarding 1-1s with
    teammates
    • Engaging in conversations
    over Slack; react with emojis
    Easy, right?
    

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29. Cultivate conversation
    Build a safe space and encourage contribution
    happened to notice that beyond tellerrand is coming up pretty
    soon. i hope you're feeling good about making the trip but let me
    know if talking to someone else who struggles with anxiety would
    be helpful.
    Awesome co-worker
    Michelle
    aww thanks so much, you o!ering this means a lot!
    The other day
    

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30. Foster a psychologically safe team
    

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31. Foster a psychologically safe team
    

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32. Foster a psychologically safe team
    • Don’t be afraid - the
    challenge that you feel is
    nothing compared to the
    challenge of other
    marginalized people
    • Lead by example
    • Recognize the weight people
    carry when they’re the only
    one.
    • Support and encourage your
    team through this
    • Have conversations around
    what having a safe space to
    talk looks like for your team
    

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33. Reflect on things
    • Check in with yourself, your team -
    how did that go?
    • What could go better?
    • What moments can be celebrated?
    (Don’t forget to celebrate them!)
    

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34. B.R.I.D.G.E.
    • Be uncomfortable
    • Reflect (on what you don’t know)
    • Invite feedback
    • Defensiveness doesn’t help
    • Grow from your mistakes
    • Expect that change takes time
    From: Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work by Ruchika Tulshyan
    

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35. Step 5. Start small, try today
    • Complete the positionality
    wheel
    • Engage in conversations with
    people who are unlike you.
    • Take your time and don’t
    get discouraged. This can be
    awkward, but it gets easier.
    No one will fault you for
    trying!
    

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36. Thanks, everyone!
    Connect with me;
    I look forward to hearing
    how you invited people
    in!
    bit.ly/michelletchin
    

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