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Hi everyone, thank you so much for coming to my talk. Welcome to RailsConf 2021!
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I'm here to talk to you today about how to engineer in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with tangible steps for teams.
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So hello, my name is Jeannie Evans. I use she/her pronouns.
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I am a software engineer at Snapdocs. I live in Denver, Colorado with my partner Tegan and my cat, Zombie.
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We enjoy all the Denver activities—like mountain hikes, visiting breweries, and parks.
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Recently, one of our favorite quarantine activities has been getting a bird feeder right outside our window.
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We love watching our cat watch the birds. It's been really exciting over the past couple of weeks.
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Thank you again for being here. The topic of DEI can be heavy and emotionally draining.
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I appreciate your engagement.
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Today, we will start with what DEI is. We will define that in a bit more detail.
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This will be a somewhat lengthy introduction because some of this might be new to you, while some might be review.
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But we will dive into the introduction and get everyone on the same page.
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Next, we will discuss how to engineer in DEI, which is where those tangible steps for teams come in.
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We will wrap this up quickly, and then have a live Q&A.
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The live Q&A is on Thursday, April 15th, from 3:40 PM to 4:10 PM Eastern Time.
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There is also a Discord channel where you can ask questions and hang out. I will check it throughout the conference.
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I will also be posting a lot of resources related to DEI in engineering.
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What I present today is just a sliver of what DEI means in engineering, so feel free to keep the conversation going as much as you’d like throughout the conference.
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Now, what is DEI? DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
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Diversity is the presence of differences—this includes race, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, or disability, among other factors.
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Equity is about promoting justice, impartiality, and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems.
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You might recognize a particular image related to equity—often depicted with people trying to look over a fence at a baseball game.
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Inclusion, however, is really our focus today. It addresses how we can ensure that diverse individuals actually feel welcomed.
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As engineers, while we have limited influence over diversity and equity within our organizations, we can significantly impact inclusion.
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Inclusion is an outcome that guarantees that those who are diverse do feel welcomed.
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We can integrate inclusion into our code.
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Let me share a bit about my background. Before tech, I had a career in education and non-profit work for about 10 years.
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I studied International Affairs and Peace Studies during my undergraduate degree.
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That means I focused on the anthropological aspects of post-conflict societies—how people reconcile and how both Western influence can both help and harm the reconciliation process.
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DEI has always been a significant part of my work and studies.
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I love solving large, complex, seemingly impossible problems—this ultimately led me to software engineering.
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When I transitioned into tech, I started asking, 'How can we engineer in DEI? What can engineers do?'
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I raised this question at meetups and conferences both informally and in school.
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I was often disappointed with the answers I received. They typically suggested advocating for DEI issues to leadership, HR, and product teams.
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That response felt unsatisfactory, as it seemed to place the burden solely on others instead of offering concrete steps we could take ourselves.
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That's why I'm speaking today—to explore what we can actively do.
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Additionally, I want to emphasize why you should care about this issue.
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First of all, it's simply the right thing to do. But if that's not enough, consider this:
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Diverse teams produce better results—that's a fact.
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Leadership and management are waking up to this fact.
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The events of 2020 served as a significant turning point for social justice and equity.
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People are scrutinizing organizations, demanding accountability for where and how their money is spent.
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Moving forward, there will be an expectation that engineers are aware of their roles in supporting DEI.
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We are the ones building the technology, which gives us significant power.
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Let's leverage that power to effect positive change.
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I want to share some assumptions I have about the audience today.
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Since we are in a virtual space, I can't ask you to raise your hand to confirm these assumptions.
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I assume many of you are backend engineers, with some full-stack engineers as well.
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I also assume you have some experience with Agile development and at least some aspects of Scrum.
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Additionally, I suspect we have engineers here of varying experience levels.
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Some may have differing levels of exposure to DEI, both personally and professionally.
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So, how do we define DEI as engineers?
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I think of DEI through the lens of allyship.
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However, the term allyship has often lost its meaning and has become ambiguous.
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Instead, let’s consider using the term active allyship.
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We cannot merely identify ourselves as allies; we must actively participate in allyship.
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There are phases to active allyship. I’ve seen various allyship journey maps and philosophies, but I want to emphasize two important steps: awareness followed by action.
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Awareness can be both self-awareness and systemic awareness.
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Self-awareness involves understanding your own unconscious biases and questioning what you’ve internalized from your upbringing.
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Systemic awareness requires recognizing the systemic advantages you may have or the systems working against you.
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I’d like to share a quote from 'Building Allies' that summarizes this beautifully.
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"Generally, as individuals, we do not directly cause these inequalities. However, those of us with privilege directly benefit from systems of inequity and simultaneously maintain them even while wanting to change them."
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After we cultivate awareness, we can begin to take action.
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Personally, action could mean distributing pamphlets, protesting, or advocating for marginalized individuals facing discrimination.
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Professionally, this translates to actions like joining employee resource groups at your company.
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Ask your organization tough questions: Do we have a DEI officer? Is our platform ADA compliant?
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It's important to actively challenge ourselves and our environments.
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I want to share a story that illustrates the importance of beginning with awareness before moving to action.
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People from underrepresented backgrounds often experience a particular pattern in the workplace.
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When they approach their managers to address harassment or disrespect, a typical response might be mediation between both parties.
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However, this method can unintentionally place those who have been harassed into unsafe situations.
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Managers often need to do their homework to respond appropriately to such situations.
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Now, let’s discuss how we can engineer in DEI. This is where those tangible steps come in.
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First, we’ll talk about agile workflow.
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I assume many of you already have some experience with agile, specifically Scrum ceremonies.
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Talking about agile is essential because it lays the foundation for how we work, and agile strongly encourages the integration of DEI.
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I’d like to highlight some key themes from the Agile Manifesto.
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First, 'Individuals and interactions over processes and tools' and 'Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.'
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Next, 'Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project' and 'Build projects around motivated individuals, giving them the environment and support they need and trusting them to get the job done.'
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Finally, the concept of self-organizing teams. These principles inherently speak to diversity.
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When we treat people as individuals, we acknowledge inherent diversity.
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Most companies aim for a diverse customer base, and the collaboration between business and developers also needs to reflect this diversity.
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If we want motivated individuals and a supportive environment, we need active DEI initiatives.
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The absence of DEI in our agile practices can lead to 'structurelessness.'
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This concept arises from the essay 'Tyranny of Structurelessness,' which I will link in the Discord Channel.
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Structurelessness privileges those who already hold significant power and privilege in society.
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Such power dynamics infiltrate our agile processes and cannot be ignored.
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So, how do we actively incorporate DEI in our professional relationships and communication?
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Active allyship is one answer. The awareness phase is crucial; if you're new, focus on this aspect.
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If you’re more seasoned, remember that this is an ongoing process.
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Next is facilitation. This is a crucial skill set that you can develop. Consider studying facilitation techniques as diligently as you'd study a new language or framework.
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When facilitating meetings, even casual ones, ensure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute.
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Even in the virtual environments we navigate today, tools like Zoom can promote participation.
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Use emojis and chat functions during meetings to create an inclusive atmosphere.
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Another effective method is mob programming—coding together as a team to tackle a single problem.
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In this approach, every team member rotates through different roles, giving equal voice to all—especially those who might feel marginalized.
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This structure allows quieter voices to emerge and be heard.
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Consider the potential impact on your user base. For instance, if your project team is comprised solely of individuals in their 30s, you risk alienating a significant portion of potential users.
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This absence of diversity can lead to less effective designs.
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Let me share a quick example: our family recently shared a BuzzFeed quiz titled 'How Privileged Are You?'
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While meant to stimulate conversation, it caused someone in my family to disengage due to a question that didn’t resonate.
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This highlights the significance of making sure every voice is represented and valued.
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Mob programming also leads to fewer bugs and more testing—reducing meetings and enhancing onboarding.
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Though it might seem intimidating, it's worth considering in various situations, especially during critical bug fixes.
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Next, let's address accessibility. We cannot discuss DEI in engineering without acknowledging accessibility.
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Getting accessibility right can be challenging due to multiple parties involved, such as design, product, and QA.
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One key point is that I think engineers already have significant knowledge about accessibility.
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The breakdown often occurs in collaboration with other departments.
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In terms of tools and workflows, I'll discuss some best practices.
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If you’re primarily a backend engineer, some of this may serve as review.
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Regardless, it's valuable to understand how this applies to you.
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Firstly, review semantic HTML. If you ever touch the front end, know that semantic HTML includes a wealth of accessibility features.
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Several tools can provide quick audits of your code, such as the Wave Chrome extension or Lighthouse available in DevTools.
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Additionally, incorporating accessibility notes into your PRs can create opportunities for discussion and improvement.
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Regularly review accessibility in every PR you encounter, ensuring this conversation becomes commonplace.
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I want to share how the Wave extension and Lighthouse can be visually helpful for auditing accessibility in your applications.
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Now, let’s discuss collaboration. Who are you working with on accessibility? Make sure you’re addressing it in conversations.
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For example, collaborate with front-end teams regarding how they will render data you provide from the backend.
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For your product team, budget for ongoing accessibility improvements.
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QA team members tend to have invaluable insight regarding accessibility and how to test for it.
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Lastly, don’t forget about design; color contrast is often overlooked yet crucial for accessibility.
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Make your collaboration and meetings work for you, and aim for inclusive communication.
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Now, let’s shift our focus to preferred naming.
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This project is close to my heart, as it's something I've been able to implement at Snapdocs.
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So, I’ll share how I initiated this change, what it entailed, and some key takeaways from the experience.
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Quickly pause and reflect on this question: What is a name?
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According to Webster's Dictionary, a name is a word or phrase that designates a person or thing.
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While that's an accurate definition, it hardly captures our emotional connections to names.
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Names can take various forms: legal names, preferred names, chosen names, and nicknames.
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For example, my legal name is Jean Marie Evans, but I prefer to be called Jeannie.
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I introduced myself by my preferred name, which carries personal significance.
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The importance of preferred naming cannot be overstated.
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A story shared by a transgender man had a profound impact on my understanding of this.
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He spoke of the painful experience of dead naming—seeing their legal name displayed where their preferred name should be.
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This is particularly harmful for transgender and non-binary individuals.
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I also heard an inspiring story about a young man in India who was able to come out at work thanks to a supportive environment.
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I was motivated to pursue incorporating this change at Snapdocs.
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Initially met with enthusiasm, the idea eventually stalled.
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So, I took it upon myself to implement this change, submitting a PR.
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My engineering manager advised caution, reminding me we needed the right people involved.
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We eventually got tickets on the board, and the implementation is now live.
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Reflecting on this journey, I learned some important lessons:
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Be realistic; while advocating for DEI is important, remember it should also make sense for the organization.
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Preferred naming is vital for many people—it aligns with DEI efforts in a meaningful way.
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Be patient; the learning curve can be slow, but lasting changes take time.
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Lastly, remember the business case; DEI efforts are increasingly scrutinized by consumers.
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So summarize your organization’s goals and determine how initiatives like preferred naming can align.
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It’s usually easier to implement DEI initiatives early on in a project rather than retrofitting them later.
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In my case, it took months just to change the label on an input field; the underlying functionality really didn’t change.
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This process highlights the importance of integrating DEI into engineering from the start.
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As I wrap up, I have some final thoughts.
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First, start at home; focus on awareness and avoid rushing into action that might cause harm.
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Effective communication and collaboration are essential; without them, we can't drive change.
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Additionally, recognize that DEI is an ongoing journey, not a final destination.
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I liken this journey to gardening—it requires nurturing, weeding, and consistent care.
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Start small, grow gradually, and understand that every step forward positively impacts the community.
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I will leave you with some reflective questions to consider.
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What is your responsibility toward DEI? How do you address biases within yourself and the technology you use?
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Before we engage in the Q&A or discussions in Discord, I kindly ask you to reflect on these questions.
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Taking this time will yield a more meaningful dialogue for all of us.
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Thank you for being here today! Thank you to Heather and Cindy, who's my audience of one right now.
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Thank you once more for your engagement! I look forward to seeing you during the live Q&A!
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This will be held on April 15th, from 3:40 to 4:10 PM Eastern Time.
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My Discord channel is titled 'Engineer in Diversity & Inclusion – Tangible Steps for Teams'.
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I would love to continue this conversation, especially with those of you doing similar work.
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Lastly, I want to remind you that Snapdocs is currently hiring!
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Thank you again, and enjoy the rest of the conference!
