Gender inclusion in our products is a small action that can have considerable impact.
Shouldnt a cisgender designers empathy also extend to gender identity?
In many cases, this is the first impression that someone gets from your product.
Its essential that its minimal and, yes, inclusive.
Similarly, people will delete their accounts with products if those products cant meet their needs.
Anywhere where gender data is gathered by an organization, you have an opportunity to do better.
So lets talk about how to be gender inclusive in your design processes.
Weve all experienced the horrors of filling out lengthy forms.
Forms are often considered an annoying experience, so much so that autofill is a thing.
The same logic applies to asking for gender information.
In many instances, it makes sense.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Spoiler alert: gaining a users trust is invaluable.
It can make all of the difference in transforming casual users to evangelical.
you’re able to Google how many genders are there and get a myriad of answers.
Facebook is one product that currently allows users to do both.
They also allow people to change their gender at any time in their profile options.
This customization can make all of the difference to people who deal withgender dysphoria.
This small change can mean a significantly more positive experience for many of your users.
How many articles do we have to read that speaks to all people in the same way?
Representation matters, so lets have a go at represent everyone.
I know that data related to transgender individuals arent as common as we would like.
Try your best, and advocate for better representation in the products you are working on.
Culture shifts take time.
The business advantage
Inclusive design always has a moral value.
You might be thinking, why cant we do what is right simply because it is right?
Ill do my best to answer this question.
But we should never forget that our world is ever-changing.
Millennials and Gen Z are coming into ages in which they have buying and voting power.
Maybe they simply havent noticed it?
Regardless, I suspect that gender-inclusive design will do more good than harm, especially in the long run.
Lets take the example ofEllevestsonboarding experience.
In this, users can select from the options of male, female, and non-binary.
For a business that is disrupting the financial industry, Ellevest is using gender inclusion to their advantage.
Financial industries notoriously suffer from outdated and hyper rigid values.
Ellevest has sought to go against those old financial industry practices and mirrors their values in the design.
Doing this helps Ellevest stand apart even further from the industry it seeks to disrupt.
Getting ahead of this trend could be a massive win for any organization.
Attract Diverse Candidates
Businesses should know diverse teams with inclusive cultures are more profitable.
This study also measured longer-term value creation from diversity initiatives.
