Advancing Racial Equity in Design: A Field Guide for Managers and Leaders
In order to achieve true design excellence and create experiences that cater to a diverse and inclusive range of user needs.
Summary
In order to achieve true design excellence and create experiences that cater to a diverse and inclusive range of user needs, we need the perspectives, voices, and talent of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). However, the design industry severely lacks in diverse representation. For example, according to the Silicon Valley design census, the number of Black designers practicing in 2019 was a mere 3% of the industry total. In fact, there have been little to no gains in the last five years for Black employees.
These disparities can be attributed to embedded systemic racism, from historical exclusionary practices in hiring to modern-day biases in promotional decisions.
As designers, we need to address this problem head-on. Sustainable change starts internally by looking at ourselves and having the tough conversations about the systems we use to hire, retain, and advance BIPOC designers, so that we can ensure that our teams more accurately reflect the global populations we aim to serve. Even more so, we have a moral duty to ensure our internal practices provide equitable opportunities for everyone. If racial inequity is a product of design, the opposite is true as well. Together, we have a responsibility to redesign these systems with a new way of thinking.
- Using this Guide
- Introduction
- Our Organizational Strategy
- Focus Areas
- Build Diverse Teams
- Sponsor Underrepresented
- Designers
- Design Inclusive Culture
- Closing
- Foundational Terms
- References
