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    “Space that is exclusionary does not live up to its full potential”

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    It’s time for equitable design to become a priority rather than an afterthought, writes Google’s Annie-Jean Baptiste.

    When you think about equitable design, what does it look like? In my mind, it means everyone being able to move seamlessly throughout spaces without having to think about how their identity might change their approach or reception. This includes a person’s age, race, socioeconomic status, whether they have a disability, and more.
    Equitable design is about creating a world where products, services and experiences are made for everyone and are helpful to everyone, with a particular focus on groups that have been historically marginalized. It’s about creating a world where everyone belongs.
    It’s not enough to create for one type of person
    Equitable design isn’t an afterthought. It’s imperative to ensure environments work for as many people as possible. When we do that, we create spaces that not only reflect the world around us, but create the space for innovation to blossom. When spaces are inequitable, they stunt ideation, growth and change. Non-inclusive spaces can at the least be alienating, and at most, be harmful and dangerous (hospitals come to mind).

    There are many factors that can contribute to making someone feel like they don’t belong in a space. For instance, have you ever walked into a store and felt like you were being followed or that you were unwelcome because of your race? Have you ever gone to a restaurant and found that there wasn’t enough space for your wheelchair? Have you ever gone to a movie and realized that there weren’t subtitles in your language? All of these are examples of experiences that can leave people feeling uncomfortable or unwanted.
    It’s important to be intentional about designing inclusively and being considerate of every person’s identity. All of us have bias, but we must move from intent to impact. It’s not enough to create for one type of person. We must build to reflect that world and commit to learning about experiences unlike ours in order to do so.

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    There are several approaches to creating inclusive and accessible spaces, including being thoughtful about how a space is designed. One of my favorite examples of this is by the Magical Bridge Foundation. Their organization designs and creates playgrounds that center around inclusion across several dimensions, including ability and age. This ensures that people with a variety of identities are able to equitably enjoy the space.
    Another aspect of inclusive design in physical spaces could be the presence of adjustable lighting, which can be highly beneficial in a multitude of environments, including workspaces. Adjustable lighting could include dimmable lights or blinds/curtains to regulate the amount of natural light. This type of lighting allows individuals to modify their environment to best suit their visual needs, enhancing comfort and productivity. It can also help all skin tones show up beautifully and accurately by ensuring people have the ability to adjust to what works best for them, whereas non-adjustable lighting can fail to account for darker shades and hues.
    Spaces can also be used to celebrate identity. For many historically marginalized groups, having environments to authentically connect to is extremely important, because there’s nothing quite like being in a place that was designed with your experience in mind. For the LGBTQ+ community, these types of affinity spaces can cultivate a feeling of belonging. Another example, Black Girl Green House in Oakland, creates spaces for Black women to come together in community.
    There are many benefits to having inclusive spaces
    While progress is being made, there is so much work that needs to be done.
    Consider what a person’s experience would be in a space from end-to-end. The physical components are just one aspect of that. When they enter a space, they should be greeted warmly. There should be someone who speaks their language available to help with questions. Signage should be clear and easy to understand, agnostic of reading level. Hallways should be wide enough for wheelchairs. It’s worth co-creating with communities that may be most at the margins to ensure that you are creating an inclusive experience for as many people as possible.
    There are many benefits to having inclusive spaces. They can not only help to create a more just and equitable society, but, at an individual level, they can also help to improve well-being both physically and mentally, by reducing stress and anxiety. These spaces are able to provide people with a sense of community, belonging, and support.

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    Creating inclusive spaces allows everyone to thrive and tap into their creativity no matter where they are: in the workplace or in the world. Creating inclusive spaces means developing an environment where everyone feels welcome and respected, regardless of their background, identity, or beliefs. There are many parallels between creating inclusive products and inclusive spaces. Space, in fact, is a physical product that people will interact with, utilize and connect with.
    Space that is exclusionary does not live up to its full potential. Better decisions and ideas come from dissent, friction and multiple perspectives getting to a solution that is nuanced and multifaceted. The outcomes are better for everyone when you create spaces where groups that have historically been at the margins feel like they have agency to speak their truth.
    When creating inclusive spaces, products or experiences, you must always ask: who else? Who else should be involved? Whose voice needs to be a part of the process? As designers, developers, marketers, and creators, we have an opportunity to create products and services that make people feel seen.
    We must admit that we don’t know everything, and ensure that we include diverse perspectives
    In order to do that, we must admit that we don’t know everything, and ensure that we include diverse perspectives, particularly from people who have been historically marginalized, at key points in the process — ideation, research, design, testing, and marketing. This means being humble, asking questions, and letting those with the lived experiences guide the way. Center the experiences of historically marginalized communities, and build with them, not just for them.
    It’s not enough to build something you would like, because you don’t represent the world. When we broaden our perspective and bring in other perspectives, we design, create and innovate for everyone.
    The photo is by Red John via Unsplash.
    Annie Jean-Baptiste is head of product inclusion and equity at Google and founder of the Equity Army network. Her first book, Building for Everyone, is published by Wiley.
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      Over 40 per cent of BAME interior designers have faced racial discrimination, survey finds

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      Two out of five BAME interior designers have faced discrimination at work due to their ethnicity, according to a diversity survey by the British Institute of Interior Design.Conducted last year, BIID claims its Diversity in Interior Design survey is “the UK’s first-ever survey of diversity in interior design”.
      Forty-two per cent of the 109 respondents who identified as Asian, black, mixed or other said they had been a victim of discrimination in their profession or workplace because of their race or ethnicity.
      Just over 60 per cent also believe that their race or ethnicity has hindered their advancement in the industry.
      “It is clear that racism has been a factor that has held back the career progression of ethnic minority designers,” BIID chief operating office Katherine Elworthy told Dezeen.
      White designers disproportionately represented in senior positions
      The results found that 46 per cent of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) interior designers are the only person of colour in their workplace.
      White designers, on the other hand, are disproportionally represented in leadership roles.
      Although they made up only 69 per cent of all 363 survey respondents, white designers accounted for 78 per cent of those in high-level positions.

      Fifteen per cent of all respondents have faced discrimination based on their ethnicity. This number increases to 42 per cent if only including responses from people who identify as Asian, black, mixed or other

      A total of 363 interior designers responded to the diversity survey. Overall, 37 per cent of respondents believed that they had been the victim of discrimination.
      Along with discrimination based on ethnicity the survey also identified that 18 per cent of designers believe they had been discriminated against because of their gender.
      The vast majority of these were women with 63 out of the 298 female respondents saying they had experienced discrimination.
      The survey also revealed that 10 per cent of respondents had been discriminated against because of their age.
      Issues start at university
      In addition to the survey, BIID analysed data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on how different minority groups were represented among interior design students and recent graduates over the last five years.
      This showed that while interior design students are more likely to be from BAME backgrounds than the average UK student, a quarter of them end up having to take on low-skilled, non-industry jobs after university compared to 19 per cent of white students.

      Of all survey respondents who were in senior positions, 78 per cent were white
      This is a higher percentage than the average BAME student who studied a different subject, which BIID concluded: “suggests there may be particular difficulties for ethnic minorities who have interior design degrees”.
      “We also know from government statistics there is a correlation between being a member of some ethnic minority groups and being in the bottom income quintiles,” Elworthy explained.
      “If unpaid internships are still one of the routes into the profession then this, of course, may disadvantage designers who come from lower-income households.”
      HESA data further showed that there is an “attainment gap” at university, with only 13 per cent of BAME students receiving a first-class degree compared to 28 per cent of white students.
      Problem requires a “multi-faceted” solution
      “Whilst we are encouraged by high numbers of students choosing to study interior design, we need to explore how we can support the career progression of those students from ethnic minorities who may not be getting the opportunities to progress once qualified,” Elworthy concluded.
      “We feel that a multi-faceted approach is the best way forward. Our recently formed Diversity and Inclusion Committee is looking at how we can help support change within design practices, including recruitment, internships and opportunities for promotion,” she added.

      “Conversations about diversity need to expand to celebrate the work of people of colour”

      “We are also looking at how we can work with partners in the wider industry, such as universities, colleges, trade shows, awards schemes, suppliers and other industry initiatives to make sure our industry is diverse and inclusive.”
      The survey, which received responses both from BIID members and non-members, was conducted anonymously. “This does mean that we were unable to verify the identity of respondents,” BIID said.
      “We must also emphasise that given that this survey was entirely voluntary and based on a small self-selecting sample size, it cannot necessarily be used to extrapolate for the entire UK interior design profession.”
      In a separate effort to increase the diversity of the interior design sector, Sophie Ashby and Alexandria Dauley set up the United in Design initiative earlier this year.
      The project outlines seven concrete steps that interior design studios can take to improve their diversity.

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      United in Design aims to provide a “road map” to make the interiors industry more diverse

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      Interior designers Sophie Ashby and Alexandria Dauley have set up United in Design, an organisation that aims to increase racial diversity within the interiors industry.The initiative, which is supported by designers Martin Brudnizki and Joyce Wang, as well as Dezeen columnist Michelle Ogundehin, will invite studios to pledge committing a series of actions to make the interior design industry racially inclusive.
      “Our goal, together with our esteemed steering committee, is to create a UK wide initiative and provide an actionable road map for design studios, magazines and suppliers to follow,” said Ashby and Dauley.
      “We are the definition of grassroots for now, but we are thinking big and in it for the long-haul,” they continued. “We aim to create equal opportunities to those who may previously have been overlooked, side-lined or worse.”

      United in Design was founded by interior designers Alexandria Dauley (left) and Sophie Ashby
      A steering committee comprised of the founders, Brudnizki, Wang, Ogundehin, and a roster of others such as Graeme Brooker, who is head of design at the RCA and Emily Senior, who is digital editor at House & Garden magazine, will determine United in Design’s direction.

      United in Design members will commit to supporting the BAME community
      The organisation aims to support the BAME community in two ways – the first is the creation of a resource hub-cum-online journal, which will provide guidance on how to get a career in interior design and share employment and training opportunities.
      This resource will be overseen by Simon Hamilton, an interior design career coach and former international director of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).
      United in Design will also ask interior design professionals to commit to its seven-point action pledge.
      Five of the actions focus on commitments to the BAME community: school outreach, career insight days and work experience, mentoring, apprenticeships, and talks with art schools, design colleges and universities.
      The other two actions – diversity training and promoting the work of BAME designers through press and PR – are commitments that professionals will carry out within their own businesses.
      Members will pay an annual subscription fee
      Those that are able to commit themselves to at least three of the seven pledges will become “a member of the United in Design movement”.
      Members will also have to pay an annual subscription fee to the United in Design charity which will go towards funding initiatives and widening their outreach.

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      The launch of United in Design comes in light of the murder of George Floyd and wave of anti-racism protests across the globe.
      In the days following Floyd’s death – when several creatives were sharing black squares on Instagram to show solidarity with racial equality – Ashby issued a statement that called out “uncomfortable home truths” about the exclusionary nature of the interiors industry. She also addressed her own “blatant failure” of running a diverse design company.
      “The outpouring of energy and sheer drive for change I received in response to this post was the fuel I needed to take it one step further and start to provide actionable avenues for change,” Ashby told Dezeen.
      United in Design “powered by first-hand experience”
      “My passion for United in Design was ultimately powered by first-hand experience of this reality,” added Dauley, who noted the lack of BAME people when she both studied and tutored at the KLC School of Design. “I began outreach to leading industry figures to specifically promote the benefits of addressing inequality.”
      Others in the interiors and wider designer industry are trying to tackle and talk about the issue of inclusivity. Last month, in an opinion column for Dezeen, Michelle Ogundehin shared her personal experiences with racism and said that more open discussions about diversity need to be provoked.
      Interior designer Rukmini Patel and writer Kate Watson-Smyth, who runs interiors blog Made About the House, have recently collaborated to launch the Design for Diversity campaign.
      It asks brands, influencers and publications to post a sticker to their website or social media channels – by using the sticker, they pledge to consider the visibility, opportunity and accessibility of different races, genders and sexualities.
      Visual designer Mitzi Okou and interaction designer Garret Albury also teamed up to organise Where are the Black Designers?, an online conference that looked into the underrepresentation of black talent in the design and education industries.

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