We’re taking the queer experience in design out of the closets and into spreadsheets
A survey designed by and for the queer community
The idea for the Queer Design Count came to me and my cofounder Rebecca last year, shortly after the launch of our community for queer designers.
We had just finished analyzing the data from AIGA’s Design Census to compare responses from LGBTQ+ designers to their cisgender heterosexual peers. A surprising 11.7% of respondents identified as LGBTQ+ in the 2017 census (that number went up to 15% in the 2019 results). Less surprising were the disparities we found in compensation, seniority, and job satisfaction between queer and non-queer designers.
We wanted to know more about the queer experience in design behind these disparities, but there was nothing in the data that could give us further insight. LGBTQ+ status was also collected as a single checkbox, so we had no indication how the experience varied across diverse queer communities. …
Creating an organization where LGBTQ+ designers can thrive
This is the third in a multi-part series on LGBTQ+ inclusion in design. Check out the first two articles on why LGBTQ+ inclusion in design matters and how bias manifests in design organizations.
Bias is a design problem
LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately represented in design compared to the broader population. And yet, they fare unequally compared to their cisgender, heterosexual peers in compensation, advancement, and satisfaction.
Bias in the workplace—both standard variety and specific to design—shapes LGBTQ+ designers’ experience in the field. …
Barriers to queer inclusion in the design field
This is the second in a multi-part series on LGBTQ+ inclusion in design. Check out the first article on why LGBTQ+ inclusion in design matters, and the next on how to build an inclusive workplace.
Representation isn’t equality
The field of design is incredibly queer. LGBTQ+ people are represented in design in much higher percentages than in the general population. Yet that representation is not equal at all levels of seniority or compensation.
This may be partly why LGBTQ+ designers express less satisfaction and sense of job security; but it’s not the full story. …
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