How to guide: I know I want to do this, how do I start?
Equity, diversity and inclusion can feel overwhelming. There seems to be a new term, a new standard, a new process to use. You might not know where to start or even how to start. That’s okay! That's why tools like the Equity Resource Hub exist: to help guide you and empower you with resources.
Pick something that you know backwards and forwards, that you could run through without any supporting documents and know the material completely. This could be a policy, a process, or even something like a job description.
"Okay, but how do I know if it is the thing that I should work on first?"
That's a great question. You're not going to get a sign from the universe that you chose the perfect thing to start using with the Hub. But you're starting the process – and that's taking a step towards being more equitable.
Choosing something you know means that you're not going to have a learning curve on the process, policy, product, etc. that you're using. You might experience, however, some tension as you go through the Equity Considerations and notice that there are multiple areas to explore.
Even teams who use the Equity Considerations quite a bit will find additional ways to be equitable. That's why this guiding principle is so important:
"Improvement in inclusivity does not stop at Day 1. Think about Day 2 (Version 2), Day 3 (Version 3) builds."
Some suggested areas to assess using the Hub are:
Reviewing customer segment personas
Work from Home / Return to Office plans
A digital product currently in the ideation phase
A service currently slated to be terminated
A marketing campaign
A data collection policy
Sponsorship assessments
User experience interview questions
Simply, you can run through the Process using anything. Choose something that you feel comfortable assessing with the Equity Considerations. Conduct additional equity-centred research to address all gaps. Share with your team. Create Inclusive Personas. Identify motivations and ensure they are considered in decision-making. Incorporate features to address those motivations.
And then choose the next thing to run through the Process. And the next thing. And the next thing. Before long, this will become second nature to you and your teams. You'll find ways to further integrate the Process into your team's processes. You and your teams will build on the Considerations, add resources, and even adapt the Inclusive Persona template to reflect the needs of your unique organization.
All because you took a step towards being more equitable.
