The celebration ends but the challenge continues
Earlier this month, I was asked by IBM Design to share my thoughts on diversity, inclusion, and design for International Women’s Day. Chelsea Calhoun sent over a few questions that I mulled over the weekend. The answers didn’t exactly come easy. With the current state of the world, I felt a heavy responsibility to use my words to help inspire others to #ChooseToChallenge.
I called upon a couple women who have been an inspiration to me — Satsuko VanAntwerp and Aparna Satoor, who helped me refine my responses and articulate what I wanted to say. While the IBM Design article was posted on IWD and features several other IBM Designers thoughts on the topic (read it here), I thought I’d share my answers to a few of the other questions that weren’t published.
We still have a long way to go. Just because our month is over, the challenge continues and we need allies. Driving cultural change doesn’t happen overnight, but the best part about any change is that it can begin with one person at a time and that one person might be you.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. How can designers from IBM and beyond challenge the status quo to help forge a more equal world for women, non-binary, and gender fluid people in the design world?
I love this year’s theme. It’s such an important message to remind us that each of us have the ability to push boundaries, break limits, and move beyond the confines of tradition. That being said, I believe the onus is on us to not simply design for inclusivity but to design with inclusivity. That means intentional collaboration with diverse stakeholders, customers, and opinions. Designers know the value of reflection and iteration, so we need to be mindful of who might have been excluded from the process and intentionally go out to identify and build those relationships to empower them to be a part of the conversation.
Have you seen inequality challenged (and changed) in your time as a designer? If so, how? And, what changes do you hope to see in the future?
I think I’ve been quite lucky in this regard, as I’ve never felt I’ve been treated differently. I suppose my approach to work has not been too focused on being one of the few women in the room and instead on what value I can bring to the table. Having started my first business in university, working in automotive, going to business school, and now working in tech, I don’t recall anyone questioning by capacity just for being a woman. I’ve been fortunate to have had strong support and advocacy from both men and women, to help me along in my career journey. But I know this isn’t the most common experience. When I look around and above, female representation in management is still low. Unfortunately, I’ve seen several of my female colleagues leave after feeling unnoticed or passed over for growth opportunities and promotions. Across the board, there is acknowledgment that we need more diverse representation in our leadership, so we need to find more tactical ways to bring about the inclusion of women of colour, new immigrants, differently abled, and LGBTQ2S+. I hope that in the future we invest more in nurturing the next generation of designers by creating the right environment for growth and development while supporting and advocating for diversity.
What advice would you give to a new designer who wants to challenge the status quo and help create a more inclusive design world?
I’m glad you asked this. I believe designers have to challenge directly and take responsibility to effect change. We shouldn’t expect opportunities to serendipitously fall into our laps, we need to actively imagine ourselves and the future we want. That means proactively seeking out points of exclusion and using them to highlight opportunities to do things differently and create new solutions. We design with the knowledge that what we create can be continuously improved and perfected, so never be afraid to ask questions about our world, our work, and the people who use our products.
Also, find out if you have a sponsor user program like the IBM User Experience Program. Through regular engagements with customers, we continue to deepen our understanding of our users and the diversity of experiences and perspectives they have. By leveraging co-creation and participatory design, we can ensure that inclusivity is always at the heart of our design process. When our technical teams focus on feasibility and our product managers think about business viability, we need to ensure that designers feel empowered to bring the perspective of the user to the table.
A recent New York Times story about how the current coronavirus pandemic is affecting U.S. women says, “Almost 1 million mothers have left the workforce — with Black mothers, Hispanic mothers and single mothers among the hardest hit.” As designers, how can we stay connected with vulnerable women around the world who may have put their careers on hold to manage home life during the pandemic?
If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the value of meaningful connections. If you have people in your network who have had to put their careers on hold, take the time to reach out and ask if they need any help or assistance. I’m fortunate to have a great network of friends, colleagues, classmates, and folks I’ve met along the way and I’m always happy to introduce them, even if it’s just for a quick virtual coffee chat. When we help others succeed, we all succeed. A recent McKinsey study found that gender diversity is a key to financial success, so we have to make sure that the women who’ve had to shift their priorities temporarily know that they’re not forgotten and that there’s a place waiting for them when they’re ready to come back.
