A presentation at MongoDB.local London 2019 in in London, UK by Eriol Fox
Diversity in design Diversity in design. Content warnings: Misgendering, Ableism, Racism, Visual representations of Transgender people, LGBTQIA+ representation, Agesim. @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design “Tools are never completely neutral and their settings reflect the cultural bias of the technicians that calibrate them.” Pg. 90 - Politics of Design by Ruben Pater @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Hi, I’m Eriol. (Ehh-roll) Designer. Non-binary, Trans. They/Them/Their’s pronouns. Mx (instead of Mr/Mrs/Ms) Queer person. ‘Invisible’ disability/illness. (PTSD) Carer for parents/children White person @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Helping people raise their voice and those who serve them to listen and respond better We were able to map all the health facilities in Kathmandu Valley before the earthquake, which will undoubtedly help the relief workers’ ability to deliver supplies and help save lives. A tool to help other teams reach each other everyday and in a crisis. On any device. @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Recommended stock photography www.africanstockphoto.com www.photoability.net www.wocintechchat.com/blog/wocintechphotos https://techspark.co/shift-stock-gallery-2/ @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Make something usable, relevant and simple for anyone to use. @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Fitness apps @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
What Happens If You’re Genderqueer — But Your Native Language Is Gendered? Erin Crouch https://medium.com/the-establishment/whathappens-if-youre-genderqueer-but-your-nativelanguage-is-gendered-d1c009dc5fcb @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design ‘Respectful Collection of Demographic Data’ https://medium.com/@anna.sarai.rosenberg @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Edge-cases… Also known as: “We can’t please everybody” @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Stress-cases Also known as: “The people that need our empathy and attention the most” @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Survey by the National Centre for Transgender Equality: Out of almost 28,000 respondents, more than a third chose “non-binary/genderqueer” Two in five LGBT people (39 per cent) who identify as non-binary have experienced a hate crime @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design As designers, we are at the forefront of how products serve users, but also how the digital and physical world represents and reflects back at users… …we have a responsibility to be inclusive, sensitive and understanding with what we design, and endeavour to help non-marginalised folk foster their acceptance and expose them to systems that include, rather than exclude. @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design Ask other people when it’s safe and encouraged to do so. Practice compassion. Talk about issues not just with marginalised people. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Question your words and assumptions. Think about why and where these come from. @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design For those that can go a little further… Volunteer for or sponsor these: A local Pride or LGBTQIA+ event or organisation A group that supports people with disabilities/impairments Groups and organisations that promote people of colour in technology @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
Diversity in design https://www.ellpha.com/ - Gender Balance through AI https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/consultations/ the2021censusinitialviewoncontentforenglandandwales - Gender Identity from UK Census http://cassolotl.tumblr.com/post/168336693365 - Pronoun tips for Binary Men and Women https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/less-than-or-equal/id890268267 - Less than or Equal a podcast geeks facing inequality in their industries @Erioldoesdesign @mongodb #mdblocal
When working in design and user experience, people that need accessible and inclusive products of experiences often get referred to as ‘edge cases’ and subsequently pushed out of scope. It’s never easy to convince bosses or colleagues that aren’t themselves ‘edge cases ‘themselves to take the time and spend the resource caring for those that need more diverse design and representation in our visuals.
Covering real-life past examples of frustrations from projects that didn’t go so well, ones that did go well and how I work as much diversity and inclusivity into my work as I can possibly get away with now with the hope to not only make it the standard approach from the companies and people that I work with, but also for the customers and end-users that are not marginalised, to consider that products, services and marketing should be representative for and of everyone, not just them.
for free. You
can too.