Equity Design

• Equity-Focused Design Core Concepts:

• Definition:

  Making products “accessible and fair to all”

  • Genders
  • Races
  • Abilities

  “Must specifically consider underrepresented groups”

• Forms & Data Collection:

  Key Considerations:

  • Question necessity
  • Gender-neutral language
  • Bias awareness

  Example: Gender Selection

  • Poor Design: Male/Female/Other
  • Better Design:
    • Multiple options
    • Write-in field
    • “Includes nonconforming & nonbinary”

• Real World Examples:

  Voice Assistants Issue:

  • Initially trained on male English voices
  • Failed with:
    • Female voices
    • Accented speech
  • “Shows importance of diverse testing”

  Visual Representation:

  • Profile Pictures/Avatars should consider:
    • Age
    • Race
    • Gender
  • “Challenge mainstream user images”
    • Use diverse illustrations
    • Include varied representations

• Implementation:

  Requires:

  • “Viewing design through critical lens”
  • Considering multiple perspectives
  • Understanding biases

  “Just starting point - has endless implications”