Practicing What We Preach on Inclusivity

Why championing inclusivity should be a core business value

By Claire Lorman, Interaction Designer

Although the word “inclusivity” has become a buzzword in our current design culture, it’s important to keep reminding ourselves what this tenet actually means: making a concerted effort to include those who might otherwise be excluded. As a company, frog works hard to implement a culture of inclusivity. And while we’re making headway in removing those glass ceilings, championing diverse leaders and better understanding who should be represented at our proverbial (and literal) tables, it’s sometimes hard to extend this culture beyond our studio walls.

As a design-led organization, we have a responsibility to our clients to show them the business value of being truly inclusive within their own organizations. Our clients rely on us to help them solve problems with innovative solutions. They trust our judgement and they look to us for guidance, which is why we need to leverage this trust to show them how diversity is a key business driver.

One example we see a lot is that clients want to know how to reach a more diverse audience, but still show up with the same homogenous group of decision makers. To achieve real change, inclusion must extend beyond just attendance. Instead of just having a diverse group of people at the table, we need that diverse group of people present and leading discussions in order to gain valuable input on decision making that will open up audiences and opportunities.

The reality is that most companies walk a fine line between fostering a truly diverse culture, and implementing “D&I” policies that only scratch the surface of the problem. Simply bringing one woman to a pitch meeting is not enough. As a designer, I’ve sat in those rooms and seen that one woman continually interrupted or ignored by her male colleagues.

At frog, we’ve seen the real results of what happens when you not only include diverse voices in the design process, but let them take the lead. A group of frogs in our San Francisco studio set out to tackle a the problem of making the dreaded pelvic exam a little more “user-friendly” with a concept project called Yona. The project focused on a redesign of the speculum, which is a medical device that has been used for centuries, detested by women, yet hardly ever changed. This is because the majority of those designing or manufacturing the tool never had to experience it for themselves. For too long, products and services have lacked the most basic element of inclusivity — actually including the beneficiaries of the end result in the design process from the very beginning. But when they do, they open up unmet needs in the market and new areas of opportunities for brands.

But the issue goes beyond the project rooms and design share-outs for new products and services. Pinterest set a new standard in 2017 by hiring a Chief Diversity Officer and becoming even more transparent about their efforts to retain women and minorities. Pinterest showed that internal change reflects external results, making efforts not only to hire women and minorities for entry-level positions, but that those hires go all the way to the top. In 2017, they made a goal to increase hiring rates for people from underrepresented backgrounds in non-engineering roles to 12%. They exceeded that, and hired 15%.

Change doesn’t happen overnight — it takes thoughtful, dedicated efforts — but we can help our clients better understand the key factors of inclusivity that will drive business success. It is our job to demonstrate to the companies that we do work with (and will work with in the future) that we are indeed practicing what we preach by cultivating an inclusive culture, one that extends beyond the confines of our walls. We hope that the more our clients see us being champions of inclusivity, the more they’ll understand the value of implementing this core business tenet.

Based out of frog’s Brooklyn studio, Claire brings a background of service design, design research and product design to her role as Interaction Designer. She leverages her experience working in both consulting and corporate environments to truly understand how to bring clients a solution that answers their problem and shows them a new and unique solution.

Illustration by Matt Chase.