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How does Invision's documentary "Design Disruptors" represent the design community when everyone featured is white?

8 years ago from Osandi Sekoú, founder | product design

  • Gerald LlorenceGerald Llorence, 8 years ago

    It's frustrating when something that looks this great doesn't go the extra mile to find a more diverse group of people to interview. Even on a male to female ratio it is bad. It's not like the diversity is hiding anywhere, they could have found it if they actually looked.

    24 points
    • Osandi Sekoú, 8 years ago

      I concur and that is the point of asking "How...when?"

      It's 2015, man and Invision is painting a picture that never really existed of America, and not holistic of the design industry.

      9 points
    • Ix TechauIx Techau, 8 years ago

      Why would diversity matter? Their ethnic background or gender has nothing to do with what they are saying. They didn't choose to be white, nor did they choose to be male. Should they actively say no to work because they are white males, for the greater good of diversity?

      Why should the makers of the documentary spend extra time and money on looking for diversity, what is the actual benefit? They're not saying all designers are white, nor do they insinuate it. And frankly I don't think they care about what skin colour these people have.

      15 points
      • Drew AlbinsonDrew Albinson, 8 years ago (edited 8 years ago )

        The benefit is that we end up with a design community which reflects the makeup of the real national/global community which includes women (and other non-cisgender identity) and people of color. If these individuals are not represented (or empowered to reach the positions in which they may represent themselves) how are they supposed to feel like this industry values, respects, or is safe for them? Beyond the ethics here, focusing on effective design (and especially UX design)'s need for empathy and understanding user contexts, race and gender cannot and should not be underrepresented within the design sphere if we want to create experiences which are effective and inclusive. If one designs something which caters towards white males because the designer was a white male and isn't aware of their own ignorance or exposed to other kinds of individuals in the design community, the product will provide an advantage towards white males which perpetuates longstanding inequality.

        16 points
      • Osandi Sekoú, 8 years ago

        "We have to constantly critique imperialist white supremacist patriarchal culture because it is normalized by mass media and rendered unproblematic.” -Bell Hooks

        8 points
        • Floyd WilliamsonFloyd Williamson, 8 years ago (edited 8 years ago )

          "[I'm] sitting beside an anonymous white male that [I] long to murder" - Bell Hooks

          2 points
          • Jake Lazaroff, 8 years ago

            Yes, let's disregard valid points people have just because they happen to say something stupid as well!

            1 point
            • John LeschinskiJohn Leschinski, 8 years ago

              Hitler was an alright painter.

              1 point
            • Floyd WilliamsonFloyd Williamson, 8 years ago (edited 8 years ago )

              That's just it. A statement isn't automatically a valid point because you put quote marks around it.

              Especially when the person who thinks that there's an "imperialist white supremacist patriarchal culture," is an extreme racist herself. I'm pretty sure you don't take what other racists have to say about race relations very seriously, so I don't see what is different in this situation. Hooks has a bias far beyond what is reasonably healthy.

              So no, I don't think Hooks' statement is valid. It is hyperbolical lunacy.

              0 points
              • Jake Lazaroff, 8 years ago (edited 8 years ago )

                No one is agreeing that we have to critique white supremacist patriarchy because it has quotation marks around it. People are agreeing with it because it's true.

                0 points
          • Osandi Sekoú, 8 years ago

            My quote was valid. This one is not. But hey, you're interested in proving another point (the author's credibility).

            I am not.

            1 point
      • Elliott PayneElliott Payne, 8 years ago

        If you only have white men designing things that are supposed to be all people, you end up with things like... in just one example... wallets designed to look like a gun holster.

        https://www.etsy.com/listing/88659431/vice-holster-walletcell-black?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=holster%20wallet&ref=sr_gallery_13

        I don't know what you are, but I'm pretty sure you're not a black man in America. And it turns out, you can get killed by the cops just for existing, let alone reaching into your wallet looking for a credit card.

        I'm honestly kind of surprised I have to spell this out to someone on a design forum (empathy, etc. etc.)

        9 points