Designing for Everyone

 Nothing about us without us. What does that mean? Well, in the case of product and service design, it means that designers shouldn’t be designing “for” the most marginalized but instead “with” them. Why do toy designers design “toys for girls” and “toys for boys”? Why are products that address the needs of people with disabilities an exception rather than the rule? Why are the most marginalized people not at the decision-making table when products and services are conceptualized and launched? In this episode, we ask product designers Reginé Gilbert, Jahan Mantin and Vanessa Raponi about what inclusive product, service and program design looks like. 

One of the hottest topics out there is the rise of artificial intelligence and in particular of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. Suddenly machines can pass MBA exams, write memos for you, create computer codes, and much much more. At the same time, the conversation around the potential harms, and in particular the inequities, that can be created by such technologies is also accelerating. How can we take advantage of all of the incredible things it can do without suffering from its potential harms?  And, is that even possible?  In this episode, we talk to Annie Veillet and Allison Cohen to answer these questions.

Why do we call the Men’s World Cup in soccer just “The World Cup” and for women, it is the “Women’s World Cup”? Why is the NBA —the National Basketball League—just for men, and the one for women is the “WNBA.”? People think they are an add on…a niche market…But, they would be wrong. What would happen if we thought about women’s sports and women in sports as equally valuable as men?  In this episode, we are going to hear from two accomplished entrepreneurs, Meghan Chayka and Jacie De Hoop, on what using a gender lens in sports analytics might do. 

The topic of this conversation is about creating inclusive contracts. You might be thinking that this is a bit obscure. Why should we be talking about the law and contracting in a set of discussions on designing for everyone? In this episode, we are going to hear from Joy Anderson, Charlene Theodore and Sara Wolfe about how we can explore the potentially biased impacts of the legal infrastructure in our economy and how to make it better.   

Financial services is one of the most important sectors in our economy. This is an industry that touches everyone—whether it is saving for retirement, getting a housing loan, financing a new business, or using a credit card—and with that comes the potential to exacerbate or remediate inequalities. And, we probably all know that still so little investment goes to women-owned businesses relative to their male counterparts. And, what about the fact that women are more likely to live in poverty after retirement in part because of the gendered nature of savings and investment?   In this episode, we are going to hear from Kelly Baldoni, Stephanie Kelly, Sylvia Kwan and Myan Marcen-Gaudaur about how a gender lens, an Indigenous lens, and more broadly an equity lens on financial services, can create new business ideas, identify new opportunities for improved returns, and achieve a more inclusive economy.   

 The so called “nudge theory” as popularized by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their bestselling 2008 book “Nudge,”—is about how to use behavioural interventions to get people to act in their best self interest. But, what does this look like when we think about this in the context of government policy? And, how, in particular, can this concept be mobilized to achieve more equitable policy outcomes? In this episode, we talk to Dilip Soman and Alia Kamlani to answer these questions. 

When we think about product and policy analysis and design, we don’t often think about the colonial underpinnings of our work. Many people think of data and design as somehow “neutral” and “objective.” But if we dig deeper, we begin to understand how they can perpetuate inequalities. So, what would it mean to decolonize data and decolonize design? In this episode, we talk to Jacqueline Quinless, author of Decolonizing Data, and Dori Tunstall, author of Decolonizing Design, to answer that question. Featured guests: Jacqueline Quinless, Dori Tunstall and Moderator: Darrell BowdenCredits:  Produced by: Sarah Kaplan and Carmina Ravanera Edited by: Ian Gormely 

What do snow plowing, car safety, investment management and face recognition technologies all have in common? They all have impacts that are gendered. Yet, business leaders and policy makers often fail to consider these gendered impacts in the way that they design their policies, products, services and processes.  To think about how to unlock innovative opportunities using an intersectional gender lens, GATE joined with our Rotman partner, the TD Management and Data Analytics lab, to host a one-day conference in the Spring of 2023 called “Gender Analytics: Possibilities” (or GAP).   We’ll be sharing exciting panel conversations from the conference with you in this limited-edition podcast series. This intro will give you an overview of the concepts. Stay tuned for episodes on decolonizing data and design, inclusive government policy, responsible AI, and more!  Credits:  Produced by: Sarah Kaplan and Carmina Ravanera Edited by: Ian Gormely