Guide #021: How to help your digital product teams become more equity-centered

As you seek to create more equitable products and services, start the conversation internally within your team and company. You don’t need to have a role dedicated to equity design to start a discussion or to advocate for equity design practices. Start by defining what equity means to you, then expand this definition with your team to discuss what an equitable team and an equitable product should be. Ideally leadership should create a safe space for these discussions to exist, but this can also start at the team or individual level.

Analyze your team and company culture to understand if there is sufficient psychological safety within your organization for the voices of individuals from marginalized communities to be heard and adhered to. Additionally, is there a healthy environment of challenging the status quo and risk-taking? Next, audit your processes, particularly the discussions being held in the initial phases of a project, to explore equity and accessibility. How robust are these discussions? Lastly, look outward to confront any negative impact, i.e., harm, that your industry or products might be causing in the world. Listen to user/customer feedback to learn of any adverse effects, whether directly or indirectly, your products might be causing.

As it pertains to user/customer research, create a safe and trusting environment when engaging participants, especially those from marginalized communities. Remember that soliciting feedback can oftentimes feel like a one-way street, so consider “yielding power” to your research participants by allowing their voice, rather than yours, to be heard as the driver of insights and product innovation.

Analyze your target audience to uncover where there might be gaps between a user's current life and a future where they’re utilizing your product or service. For example, the target audience for a given product or service might require educational resources before they’re able to fully utilize your product or service. Consider any harm that might result from placing assumptions or expectations on your user’s/customer’s ability to utilize your product or service. Meet your users where they are, rather than trying to get them to meet you.