Top Diversity Tips and Insights from Epicurrence — The Montues
It was late. The event room had emptied out. And the panelists walked onto the stage: three African American women, two African American men, two Asian American women, a Muslim Canadian woman, and the facilitator. It was by far, the most diverse panel many of us had ever seen at a tech event.
We all became suddenly aware of contrast, as good designers often are. The crowd was peppered with mostly eager and tired Caucasian men, while the panel included women and men of different colors, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and religious identities. Some panelists were young and emerging professionals on scholarship to the event; others were well-established designer founders, entrepreneurs and senior product designers.
The conversation was passionate and the panel managed to keep us engaged and asking questions well until midnight. Below are some of their tips on how to increase diversity and inclusion in design and tech, along with some of the more interesting Q&A’s that emerged.
Insights and tips:
If everyone looks like you, speak up. The simple act of sharing an observation with your HR, manager, or co-worker can begin to plant a seed that something needs to change or isn’t quite right.
Ask yourself: What’s something I could do tomorrow? There’s no need to solve the entire diversity problem in tech. Small actions will build on themselves, spread, and grow.
When someone you work with feels uncomfortable, don’t dismiss it. For example, don’t say such things as, “You’re being too sensitive; it was just a joke!” On the flip side, if you are feeling uncomfortable, bring it up and don’t feel ashamed.
Have a diverse member involved in the recruitment process. Even if the diverse member is more junior or on a different team, make an effort to involve them in recruitment to help create a more balanced perspective and counter any biases.
For recruitment, start at the top of the funnel by amplifying access. Don’t make any false promises or tell people you’re targeting them because you want more diversity on your team. Instead, focus on amplifying access and distribution to diverse populations that way they have a fair chance. According to one panelist, this strategy would buffer against unintended “reverse discrimination” later on (see below).
Interesting Q&A’s:
“What do I do when people accuse me of ‘reverse discrimination’?” The best response here was to be equipped with facts on how diversity increases economic outcomes and innovation. Explain how it’s in your best interest to recruit a diverse team. Speak their language.
“What should I say to friends who feel a minority didn’t earn their position, but filled a diversity quota instead?” Explain exactly why you hired them, both in consideration of them as an individual and their merits, as well as in their role in diversifying the team.
“I’m getting mixed messages: both diversity and like-mindedness are good. Which should I choose?” Both are possible, but decide which commonalities vs. differences best serve your company. You might want your next hire to share your company’s focus on passion and humility, but have different work and life experiences as a way to increase perspectives on our product.
One attendee asked the last question of the event: “Should we change the culture of this event to be more inclusive?” (For context: some have argued that many of the design event’s themes are too male-centric and privileged [i.e., surfing, snowboarding, making trucker hats, etc.]). One panelist shared that from a business perspective, it might be better to stay niche and appeal to a specific target market. Many acknowledged that one simply can’t and shouldn’t appeal to everybody!
I felt a bit torn with this last one, not sure whether t0 adapt or stay true to the original vision, which feels genuine and authentic. There is probably a balance to strike and it may depend on whether increasing diversity in tech is a core intention of the event. What are your thoughts? I’d love to know. Comment and/or recommend below.
If you’re interested in more diversity in tech, I’ll be helping host our 5th Women in Design event in April. Keep in touch here.
Photo credit: Monica Semergiu
