Ashlee Edwards, Ph.D.’s Post

Hello Growth Designers! At Cleo we're hiring...what does this mean? A 'growth designer' is not a traditional Product Design role doing end to end work...no this breed of designer make lots of experiments 'across a product' vs owning one surface. And instead of releasing new features they make micro- improvements anywhere they find opportunities to better serve the business goals. They make a test on Monday and see the results on Friday. It's fast paced and there is always lots to learn. It relies more on data analytics and lots of testing instead of heavily on discovery and user research work. If you are highly data driven, experienced in hypothesis writing and excited by making incremental and measurable wins then get in touch with 2 or 3 success stories of what growth you have achieved for your company and how within a short space of time you were able to deliver business and customer impact. If you can't evidence this impact ( maybe you're not a rapid prototyper, maybe you're more of a 'systems thinker', maybe your measurable impact is scarce because your team keeps pivoting and it's tough to evidence incremental outcomes) thats cool but this isn't the type of role for you right now. Instead you can reach out to our team about our other PD Lead roles that are more end to end for our financial products, where we'd expect to hear how you approached discovery work, your problem definition, your de-risking strategy and the incremental feature prioritisation/ roll out you have led. https://lnkd.in/evqvC_E2

A Discrimination Tale to Raise Awareness (#2) — This week, I've gone to a bar where I applied. They told me I am the best candidate. There is no need for a probational shift: they are 100% confident of my abilities. Yet, I was recommended to look for better-paid opportunities and start working there. Everyone else got a probational shift. Confusing. 🤷🏽 It's always confusing, in a blurred motion. Discrimination appears at times like this: with specific types of people, you always find a reason to say no, even though you know their qualities and abilities for certainty. So here is a list of motives that can potentially hide discriminative biases: - The applicant doesn't present well enough - They are too creative and aren't focused enough - They seem to be overly emotional - They are over-qualified and will not stay in the company long enough - Their qualifications need to be closer to our requirements - They aren't a cultural fit (that one....) - They won't get along with the team because of some grey hesitational moments or behavioral misguidance - They need more experience (e.g. in my case, I have been working 100+ hours/week while in Germany and started visual design at age 11. Business weeks are legally limited to 40 hours/week in Germany or 35 hours/week in France. As a result, one year of work at my experiential rate is equivalent to at least 2,5 years at a regular rate) - Be convinced that one candidate could perfectly handle the job while you get along marvelously with them, but still go for a candidate with more experience (safer choice) - Establish some rejection motives that are not related to the job title (e,.g. rejecting one candidate for lack of experience in leading UX workshops while they applied for an UI Designer open position) Discriminative biases are insidious. They can appear as legit but are not when we take a comparative view. 🌅 #Discrimination #TalentAcquisition #HR #Recruitment #Awareness #Growth

🥺My wife has been jobless for the last 101 days and counting!! ⛳️Though having 10+ years of vast experience as UI/UX designer, now she is facing the worst recession of her career. 😢She daily outreach to companies, sending resumes but hardly gets a callback from a handful of companies. She has given dozens of interviews but none of them were fruitful. 😳And the reason for rejections is surprising. 😢"You may be unable to meet the deadline because you have to focus on your child." 😡Most shocking thing is that these lines were said by some so-called big companies that are celebrating women's empowerment, flaunting their women-centric policies bla bla bla. 🙄I guess women's empowerment and equal opportunities to women is just a myth. 📸 Women's Empowerment is just become a CSR activity that only exists on social media channels. #job #hiring #opportunity #womenempowerment

🌈 Embracing Inclusive Design: Creating User Interfaces for Every Gender 🌍 In a world more colorful and diverse than ever, creating digital spaces where everyone feels welcomed and valued is paramount. Our article dives into the power of inclusive design, shedding light on the revolutionary strides companies like Meta and Uber have taken to embrace all gender identities. 💡 Also, we explore ideas on how product and development teams can work together with language specialists and UX writers to create gender-inclusive methodologies for their products across languages and cultures. 📖 Read article: https://ow.ly/18c650PGfHH Let's take the first step in shaping a more welcoming digital landscape for everyone! #InclusiveDesign #EqualityMatters #translation #l10n

“Can we all agree the sexiest thing to happen today was Alisa live-coding in front of a room of people/on camera?” That was a tweet posted about my presentation at a conference several years ago — and no, I wasn’t flattered. 🙄❌ The first thing that bothered me was the very uncomfortable (and completely unnecessary) sexual objectification of the statement. But to a greater extent, it hurt to be once again evaluated as something special based on my gender and my career. Despite having spent my entire career in tech, I still come up against the tokenism of being a “woman developer.” It’s true that there are not many developers who identify as a woman. In fact, one global software development survey from 2020 revealed that 91.5% of web developers identify as men. But as someone who owns and leads a successful company, I don’t want my main accomplishment to be the label of a “woman developer.” I want to be seen as an individual who: 🙌 Has made valuable contributions to the field of web development 🙌 Has acquired expertise in a variety of diverse and relevant tech skills 🙌 Is a successful CEO and founder of a web design company In other words, I want to be seen and recognized based on the merit of my work — not my gender identity. My hope? That we can find a way to move forward towards a future where that is a reality for all professionals.✨ I’m curious — what do you think needs to change in the tech sector? I’d love to hear your thoughts. #webdesign #webaccessibility #tech #change #dei

We want to know, how are hiring teams fostering diversity in UX? The design industry may not be the worst, but it could always use some improvement! Harry Salles explores some ways in which hiring teams can improve their gender diversity in his latest blog ⬇ #UXRecruitment #GenderDiversity

🌟 Empowering Inclusivity through Accessibility Testing 🌟 In today's digital age, making technology accessible to everyone is not just a goal; it's a responsibility. As we celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (#GAAD), let's highlight the critical role of Accessibility Testing in building a more inclusive digital world. 🔍 Why is Accessibility Testing Important? Accessibility testing ensures that websites, applications, and digital content are usable by individuals with disabilities. It's about creating a level playing field for all, regardless of their abilities. ✅ Benefits of Accessibility Testing: Inclusivity: Empower all users, regardless of disabilities, to access and enjoy your digital products. Legal Compliance: Avoid potential legal issues by ensuring your products adhere to accessibility standards. Expanded Audience: Tap into a larger market and gain a competitive edge. Improved Reputation: Showcase your commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility. 🚀 The Future of Accessibility Testing: As technology advances, so does the need for comprehensive accessibility testing. AI-powered tools, automated testing frameworks, and user-centered design are shaping the future of this field. 👩💻 Join the Movement: If you're passionate about making technology accessible to all, consider a career in Accessibility Testing. Many organizations are actively hiring professionals who champion this cause. 💡 Let's Chat: I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on accessibility testing and any success stories you'd like to share. Together, we can make a difference in the digital world. #AccessibilityTesting #Inclusivity #DigitalAccessibility #GAAD #InclusiveTech #CareerOpportunities

The big software industry players have enthusiastically promoted their commitment to inclusive design. But how inclusive are they? Time to stop and think about your organisation's website too - is it inclusive, not just accessible? Barriers to digital use are caused by a complex web of intersecting factors. Gender identity is just one of them. Age, education, socioeconomic status, race, physical and cognitive disadvantage all have a role to play. Focusing on one dimension of inclusion does not account for all the complexities. That’s the conclusion two researchers came to after looking at Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Google websites. They also came up with some guidelines for considering intersectionality and gender bias. The researchers describe the pros and cons of the big techs. See link for my synopsis and the research paper with guidelines.

As a recruiter with experience across various user research roles, I've witnessed firsthand the importance of accessibility in our clients' projects. Here are some valuable insights taken from clients I've worked with: 1️⃣ Engage Diverse Participants: Reach out to people with different abilities, making sure everyone's voice is heard. 2️⃣ Create Easy-to-Use Materials: Keep things simple and clear in all your research materials so everyone can understand them easily. 3️⃣ Test with Helpful Tools: Try your designs with tools like screen readers to see how they work for everyone. 4️⃣ Empathy: Emphasise the importance of empathy-driven research practices, urging clients to understand and accommodate the unique needs of users with disability. #Accessibility #UserResearch #InclusiveDesign #DigitalInclusion #UXResearch #Inclusivity