Diversity In and For Design: Building Conscious Diversity in Design and Research

Key Insights

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  Diversity, equity, and inclusion are distinct concepts: diversity is who is present, equity is who should be present but isn’t, and inclusion is ensuring all voices are heard.

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  Focusing solely on diverse recruitment without investing in retention leads to a leaky bucket where diverse talent leaves prematurely.

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  Hiring practices biased toward visually polished portfolios overlook strong candidates with valuable but less flashy skills, disadvantaging underrepresented groups.

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  Diverse representation decreases at senior levels due to systemic challenges in career advancement and biased evaluations.

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  Having design and research staff report to leaders who understand their function is critical for their career growth and inclusion.

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  Products should be designed with input from diverse users by intentionally recruiting varied research participants and using globally accessible language.

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  Employee resource groups and visible investment in diverse communities help underrepresented employees feel welcomed and supported.

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  Allies not personally affected by bias play a crucial role by speaking up and calling out homogenous hiring practices.

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  Transparent growth roadmaps and assigning promotable work prevent underrepresented employees from being sidelined with non-impactful tasks.

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  Maintaining DEI best practices requires continuous conscious effort; it’s easy for organizations to slip back without vigilance.

Notable Quotes