There is Still Hope in Silicon Valley
5 things I learned about diversity through a West Coast design tour
Being a designer at Xbox can feel disorienting. One foot stands squarely in design and the other, on the periphery of gaming. Until more recently, it’s felt like an awkward dance. Not in my daily work but when it comes to what I have to contribute to the larger communities. When I was asked to join the Women of Microsoft Design in thinking about the future of representation at Microsoft, it finally clicked. I had spent more than a year heavily involved with Xbox’s Women in Gaming, I was certainly no stranger to understanding and supporting equity. The involvement was invaluable and I was able to bring that to the table with Women of Microsoft Design in addition to being a designer.
The overarching goal of coming together with Women of Microsoft Design is to shape cultural and structural change within the company. One of the kickoff events was a recent West Coast design tour where we would spend two days talking to women in roles of design leadership from across the industry. We just wanted to start conversations with designers about how they approach diversity within their teams and their larger companies.
Day 1 was all about GoPro, Twitter, Pinterest and IDEO. While a great deal of conversations were a chorus of agreement, the interesting part was the breadth of philosophies and solutions. Each one as unique as the team’s culture.
This is what I learned.
Awareness is the toughest part
Even though awareness is the most challenging part of change, it just takes someone to say, this is really important. The people that show up for these grassroots efforts are the ones who get it started, but it then becomes a journey that picks up more people along the way.
Anonymous internal surveys can reveal people’s attitudes even when employees aren’t vocal in other forums. As we’ve seen in countless accounts from women in tech, speaking up about sexism is often done for the greater good at personal cost. For some of the studios, these surveys are where they got signals that major change was needed.
It starts and ends with the culture
These same surveys pinpoint issues and reflect how men might react to efforts underway. Not everyone is going to react well but it’s okay to feel a little uncomfortable and start from there. Getting the conversation started and getting the language established are more important than not ruffling any feathers.
Trust and support are great for culture and essential for work. Give your employees explicit permission and events to get to know each other. You can’t escape working with someone. IDEO’s pre/mid/post-flight philosophy is an incredible one that holds all team members accountable during the course of a project. “Sometimes it’s easier to advocate for others and then we’re all looking out for each other,” Product Lead Michelle Lee-Schmidt explains.
Teams at IDEO are tightly knit during the course of a project. Often traveling together for weeks and at the very least sitting together for the duration of the work. At a project’s planning phase, teams outline project and personal expectations. Do folks have specific family commitments? Do they draw boundaries with a no email after 7p.m. policy? It allows colleagues to be vulnerable to each other in a safe environment exclusive of gender. Mid-flight is about checking in with those initial expectations, holding oneself and others accountable. And post-flight is taking stock of how everything went with the goal of refining and improving.
“Sometimes it’s easier to advocate for others and then we’re all looking out for each other”
The philosophy of, “can I see working with this person?” is IDEO’s heritage. David Kelly is famous for being motivated by the philosophy of working with his friends. What is your team’s cultural battle cry? What are the rituals that you make part of your work process that create an inclusive environment? If you infuse your team’s DNA with support, communication and respect, you’ll be giving yourself your best chance for success.
Executive sponsors need to show up
What are you asking for from your executive sponsors? Simply empowering your underrepresented groups isn’t enough. Participation is key. This can start by actively listening to the pulse of the community. It can extend to advocating for change in culture and structure, such as changing the idea of what a good leader should be or how the company approaches hiring. Finally, it’s how leaders answer the question, “What do you do and say when no one is there to speak up for themselves?”
There are a lot of ways to get involved but the key is that leadership show up. One of my all-time favorite quotes is from designer Whitney Hess, “Empathy can move mountains.” Executive sponsors can help move those mountains the better they understand where the rocks are.
Taking a page from Allyship 101, if you’re not supporting all women, then you are supporting no women. I get asked a lot, What can I do to help? If you simply support equity in tech, that’s a start. If you speak up for your female-identified co-workers, that’s better. If you’re visible in the efforts that drive cultural and structural change, that’s best. And whether you are part of the marginalized group or on the outside, all of these options are valid. Use your power for good.
Hiring isn’t just an HR problem
Strong leaders attract talent
“Strong leaders attract talent,” is what August de los Reyes, Head of Design and Research at Pinterest shares. Investing in the talent you have is a must. You’ll be hard-pressed to attract new and diverse talent if you can’t point to examples of what their future will look like. Representation is a real thing. Do I see someone like me at this company? Even better if it’s a voice that is visible and supported. Applicants want to see someone they can relate to experientially. Whether that’s personal, professional or both.
Start from the inside
Investing in the talent you already have is important but also important is to tap the network of that talent. During this trip was the first time I’d heard about source-a-thons and referral jams. Essentially, it means bring your laptop, bring your Linkedin, and consider who you know. They don’t even have to be looking. If you’ve ever responded to a recruiter with, No thanks I’m not looking but let’s keep in touch, this will make sense to you.
Break outside network
A lot of industries are about who you know, where you went to school or where you worked. It becomes an endless cycle of being vetted but how do you tag in? In a career where anyone can learn the tools, it’s the thinking and the attitude that becomes most valuable. From an abstract perspective, taking a chance on someone outside of tech or someone who doesn’t have a degree in design could prove incredibly valuable. It’s also looking to non-portfolio schools for your recruiting efforts. And utilizing social networks and professional conferences that cater to targeted demographics.
Ultimately, this is about having a conversation with your recruiter and doing your homework. Change doesn’t happen when you keep doing what you’ve always done. “Diversity isn’t just about numbers,” Suejin Kim, UX Design & Research Manager at GoPro says, “it’s about the right person for the role and it’s about opening up opportunity.” And if your company hasn’t been effective in reaching out and bringing people in, this is your chance to step up.
Diversity has business value
All the groups we spoke with were working on supporting women in the company. Across the board it was clear that they recognized the value of diversity from a business perspective. In fact, diverse teams are smarter and more innovative.
As designers, we are taught to embrace all experiences and to be curious. We may get ideas while mowing the lawn or come to a solution while on a weekend away. But the notions that thrive rarely appear in an isolated flash of brilliance. They are more likely to take shape through iteration and countless permutations of a solution that are the foundation of the design process. Homogenious teams feel easier, but easy is bad for performance. We aren’t challenged by comfort in the familiar. We need these varied experiences and diverse perspectives to get to those places of brilliance.
(The alternative is to stay comfortable, try to keep up with your competitors, and hope for the best.)
Start where you are right now
Figuring out your level of commitment in your community or organization isn’t easy. Luckily, there are a lot of ways to get started.
The most important thing is to start.
I’m always looking for ways to connect the dots, either within my own understanding or the communities with which I engage. The more time you spend in the problem space, the more you understand the challenges and see the opportunities. I love design and gaming. I could not understand or abide by the arbitrary reasons for exclusion. I wanted to help and began there. You can too.
Written with appreciation and respect for all the designers and others that met with us and shared so candidly. To David Betz who challenges my writing and makes my good stories better. And my fellow women of Microsoft Design and Xbox’s Women in Gaming, let’s keep going.
Clap to show your support and share your own insights in the comments below. Want to talk about design, community, or equity? Find me on Twitter!
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