Design Thinking and DEIB

I have been planning to write about the intersection of design thinking and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) for a while now, but never felt qualified since I am not a DEIB expert.

Still don’t… but I keep getting pulled into work where I apply human-centered design principles to DEIB topics.

So, I thought in the spirit of thinking out loud and in a quest for continuous learning, I’d humbly share my experience on the topic thus far. I invite all of you into the conversation, especially those from historically marginalized communities.

Why design thinking and DEIB?

In a previous article on decision making, I outlined why DEIB topics might be great candidates for design thinking due to the complex nature of the space, the need for fresh ideas, and the opportunity to co-create with historically marginalized groups of employees.

How I have applied design thinking in a DEIB context

There are various ways how human-centered design might be used in a DEIB context. To give you a sense for how it might get applied, I wanted to share the ways I have been involved with it so far:

• Equity in Performance Management Project: I was honored to be brought in by a client who wanted to re-design their performance management process with a focus on employee experience and equity. One of the first things we did as a design team was to identify our key research questions. One of them was “What does equity mean in the context of performance management?” - a seemingly simple question that conceals the complex dynamics between our legacy HR programs that are designed for equality but that inadvertently might perpetuate inequity. I then designed our research approach around this key question. I outlined other steps taken as part of this project in a previous article on design thinking project management.
• I designed an Inclusion Cohort approach to work with clients who want to engage their employees in co-creation of a culture of inclusion. The employee cohort learns how to use human-centric design principles from problem space identification to prototype planning. I highlighted in a previous article the critical role of psychological safety in this context.
• In a previous article on co-creating strategy, I shared examples for how I applied human-centric design to DEIB Strategy Design.
• As part of the #HRvsRacism initiative, Oneka Cornelius, Kendra Jackson, and I ran functional HR.Hackathons to ideate ways for how we might create greater DEIB in our Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Learning & Development, and Compensation & Benefits practices.

How have you applied human-centered design in a DEIB context?

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Caution when using design thinking for DEIB

This is NOT something you do as your first design thinking project! This work requires more experience and care than any other human-centered design project you will ever do.

These are a few of my lessons learned from doing this work:

Understanding the context

I recommend the book Design Justice by Sasha Costanza-Chock (2020) and a review of the Design Justice Network Principles as required reading before you engage in any design thinking for DEIB project. It challenges current design practices and offers guidance around the role of the designer and the concept of “designing with, not for”.

Additional approaches in this space include:

• Equity design: “Equity design is a creative process to dismantle systems of oppression and (re)design towards liberation and healing by centering the power of communities historically impacted by the oppressive systems being (re)designed.” – Equity Design Collaborative
• Liberatory design: “Liberatory Design is an approach to addressing equity challenges and change efforts in complex systems.” – National Equity Project. Stanford d.school compiled a list of liberatory design resources.
• Participatory design: “Participatory Design (PD) today is an emerging design practice that involves different non-designers in various co-design activities throughout the design process.” – Sanders et al. (2010)
• Inclusive design: “design that considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference.” - ?Costanza-Chock 2020, p. 53

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Who facilitates this work and how they approach it is key

I recommend for this work to be conducted by a diverse team of co-designers that includes people who are skilled in both, design thinking and HR/DEIB.

As one of the first steps, the design team members should engage in self-reflection. We all bring our biases to any method we use and the role we perform in it.

Equity design strategists Zariah Cameron and Alvin Schexnider compiled a list of equity-centered self-reflection questions that can serve as a starting point.

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Limitations of design thinking methods in a DEIB context

In a way, design thinking can help us recognize our biases due to its activation of System 2 thinking (Kahneman 2013, pp. 19) and thoughtful approach to decision making (Heath & Heath 2013), but there is mounting evidence that bias and injustice might be baked into the framework itself.

This work requires sensitivity and an awareness of the fact that some commonly used design thinking methods might perpetuate systems of oppression, can be extractive, or might cause re-traumatization.

Here are just a few examples of design thinking methods that need to be carefully examined when being used in a DEIB context:

• Stakeholder Mapping – does not commonly consider power dynamics and systemic inequities between groups of people
• Personas – if not backed up by in-depth quantitative analysis might result in stereotyping
• Empathy Immersion – in this article, DEI consultant Dr. Janice Gassam Asare explores drawbacks of empathy in a DEIB context based on the research conducted by Yale psychologist Paul Bloom
• Lenses for Assumption and Prototype Testing – are traditionally focused only on factors like viability, feasibility, and desirability. The IIT Institute of Design 2020 Report offers the following as additional lenses: “Is it inclusive? Is it desirable to society at large? Can it be accessed and used by as many people as possible, regardless of age, gender, disability, etc.? Have we considered diverse stakeholders as we designed this product, experience, or service? Is it just? Are we actively considering how our designs can feasibly exist within their ecosystems? How are we ensuring that basic human rights are upheld and anticipating unintended consequences? Are we developing systems that open access and promote equity? Is it sustainable? What does this design look like over the long term? Have we considered the whole lifecycle of this product/service?” (p. 13)

What are other watch outs and risks associated with using design thinking in a DEIB context?

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Getting started with design thinking and DEIB

• November 18 Hackathon (Chicago): If you are in the Chicago metro area, join us to ideate around the challenge "How might we create a psychologically safe work environment for people from marginalized groups to empower their voice, ideas, concerns, needs, and careers?"
• Social Justice in Organizational Change: This project aims to explore anti-oppressive approaches in the field of organizational change. I am an author of the chapters on Agile and Design Thinking and am currently looking for co-authors, editors, and reviewers. Please contact Kimberly Scott if you would like to get involved in the writing of these or other sections.
• Explore #HRvsRacism Resources, Toolkits, Consultants, Social Enterprises.
• Learn from Talent Tales case studies: Hacking Diversity, Inviting Inclusion, and Building Belonging.

What other Design Thinking & DEIB resources, communities, events, or activities would you recommend?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Design Thinking for HR is a biweekly LinkedIn newsletter that aims to inspire HR professionals to experiment with the human-centered design framework. The newsletter is curated by?Nicole Dessain who is an employee experience consultant, design thinking workshop facilitator, and Northwestern University instructor. Nicole is currently writing her first book about Design Thinking for HR. Join the Early Readers’ Community here.