Backstory:

I'm a designer for a global firm that is well over 100 years old . This firm since the 70s has woven diversity as a brand and goal into into the fabric of the company.

I've been interviewing board members, presidents, c-level folks and vp's to help develop a product.



The Product:

its a planning tool. its a tool for higher-ups to look back on where the company has been and where the company has gone. Its a comprehensive stack of forms.

A lot of the questions are based around money. What was made and what was spent. Other questions were around efficiency, that is how you work and how well you work.

In the dozens of questions there is one question that directly calls out diversity. Something along the lines of

"Racial, orientation, gender diversity is a way of life here...what have you done to push this agenda?"

I'm paraphrasing but thats the general idea.



The problem:

During one of the long interview sessions one high ranking person looked at me, looked at the group and said

"To be honest, no one fills out this part. I don't know what this has to do with anything...we should get rid of it really"

So the context was that we were putting features or problem areas on the chopping block.

That one part makes it so no one wants to use the tool?
Lets maybe cut it out.

That other thing that everyone hates to fill out?
Lets also maybe cut that part out too.

It wasn't my job to push back in that moment, I was supposed to listen to collect data.

BUT

When I think about the string of racially related corporate PR gaffes and how the overwhelming sentiment seems to be "this would not be an issue if a black person was in the room" I think to myself

"I was the black person in the room...I was the only person of color in the room"


Thinking about it some more...its kind of unsettling to witness a very large idea that affects the culture of a company and ultimately the lives of others just shift and potentially disappear into thin air.


I'm not going to let this one die.


I'm thinking of how this is a design issue that can be resolved. I believe folks don't want to talk about race because they don't want to be wrong so they cop out and just write "n/a"


Maybe this is a battle to be fought or maybe not.



What would you do/have done?