Inclusive Design and Why Product Managers Should Care

Diversity and inclusion are hot topics in tech, and a lot of research has shown it’s not only the right thing to do but also a good business decision. A <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">2015 McKinsey report</a> found that companies with ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry mean, and those with gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns above the industry mean. When companies lack diversity or don’t create inclusive environments, it often shows in their products. They can miss big groups of their users like Apple did in their <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/09/apple-stops-ignoring-womens-health-with-ios-9-healthkit-update-now-featuring-period-tracking/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">2014 “comprehensive” health tracking app</a>, which failed to track women's periods. Or they can shut users out of their services, like Domino’s pizza chain’s inaccessible website, which they <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/07/dominos-supreme-court.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">got sued over</a>. In some cases their products end up amplifying prejudiced stereotypes. A good example is Snapchat’s <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2017/01/25/snapchat-filters-are-harming-black-womens-self-image_a_21658358/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">“beauty” filter</a> which applied white features (e.g., lighter skin, narrow nose, etc..) to people’s pictures, implying that white is the beauty standard. <a href="https://betterprogramming.pub/why-should-product-managers-care-about-inclusive-design-45bd13b7411a">Learn More</a>