Applying an Equity Lens
Our Target Output
Incorporating an equity lens through the creation and use of inclusive personas is a tangible way to consider the unique challenges and impacts on different societal groups and incorporate these learnings directly into design and development.
The goal of applying this process is to create experiences that elicit a sense of belonging from all current and potential users, reflecting their unique needs, motivations, and past experiences. As we do this work, we’re guided by four principles.
Four Core Principles That Guide Us in This Work
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Address unconscious biases – don't assume that our personal and professional experiences reflect all or common experiences
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Be inclusive by purposefully considering these principles and the needs of different groups.
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Improvement in inclusivity does not stop at Day 1. Think about Day 2, Day 3 builds.
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No matter where we are in a project, we can always take steps toward equity and improvement.
The Process
TD Lab, TD’s innovation lab housed under the Innovation Centre of Excellence, created this repeatable process to apply inclusive personas and equitable research into our design & development process that is both lightweight and achievable.
Follow the below process, five concrete repeatable steps that make applying an equity lens to the design & development process both lightweight and achievable. As you go through the process, use the Equity Considerations page as a starting point. If you realize that you are missing data from certain demographics or come across a word that you don't know, the Glossary page contains explanations of key terms and links to resources which can help. Finally, use the downloadable resources, including the fillable Inclusive Persona template, to make completing the process as easy as possible.
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Step 1
Assess your current research using the Considerations page, and conduct additional equity-centered research using the resource links in the Glossary page to determine what, if any, gaps there are in understanding the problem and the needs of underserved and marginalized users
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Step 2
Compare and compile this research and ensure it is shared with all project stakeholders (including designers and developers)
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Step 3
Using the inclusive persona templates in the Resource section, build out personas based on the compiled research, and utilize them in your ideation process
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Step 4
Identify psychographic motivations that have been highlighted in your equity research, including impacts of possible past or present discrimination facing these personas, and ensure they are considered in the designs and development planning
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Step 5
Based on gaps identified from using inclusive personas in your ideation process, incorporate relevant, tangible features or considerations into the project to address these motivations that are also aligned to the strategic output of the concept. Where features meet both persona motivations and business goals, you will see success
Introducing the right questions at the right stages of design is critical to inclusive innovation. The intent is to actively ensure that during the development process, teams are not inadvertently limiting potential target audiences based on their own personal and professional experiences. This approach helps lead to the creation of more diverse, inclusive, and equitable personas that can be used in the design and development process – either during early ideation or in later stage production – so that the needs of all possible users are considered.
The ED&I Hub’s resources can be used at the onset of any project, planning, solutioning or ideation; when you’re reviewing a currently available services, products or solution; when planning out updates for a currently available services, products or solution; and when considering which services, products or solutions to sunset. The specific application of an equity lens may look different depending on your role and team, but here are some examples of opportunities to apply an equity lens in different roles:
Opportunities to Apply an Equity Lens in Your Role
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Executive
At your leadership team meetings, use a question or two from the Equity Considerations page to frame your road mapping sessions or new solution exploration meetings to spur on equitable ideation
Frame your strategy sessions using the Equity Considerations
Connect team objectives to completing a run through of the Equity Considerations in reviews of current and upcoming products and releases
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People Manager
Connect team objectives to completing a run through of the Equity Considerations for current and upcoming products and releases
Go through the Considerations to address current assumptions of the types of projects in your road map
Use the Glossary to ensure that you are up to date on the current internal and external equity and inclusion terms and resources
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Technical
E.g., Developers, IT Analysts, Designers, etc.
Go through the Considerations to address current assumptions that determine the prioritization of features
Use the Documents and Glossary to understand the needs and motivations of underserved communities
Use the Inclusive Persona templates as you create personas
Involve Considerations in sprint planning
Evaluate product decisions with the Considerations in mind
Use the Considerations page to ensure the design of a solution is useable and takes into account a broad spectrum of needs
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Non-Technical
E.g., Product Owners, Business Analysts, Strategy, etc.
Go through the Considerations to address current assumptions of customer needs
Use the Documents and Glossary to understand the needs and motivations of underserved communities
Use the Inclusive Persona templates as you create personas
Involve Considerations in project road mapping
Evaluate business decisions with the Considerations in mind
Use the Glossary and Resource section to address research gaps with the most up to date terms
Teams can incorporate an Equity Lens into your own processes, with support from SMEs and resources from the ED&I Resource Hub. If you need additional resources or support, please email TD’s Equity in Innovation team at td.equityresourcehub@td.com.