In 2016, Airbnb guests began to share their experiences of being discriminated due to the colour of their skin. #AirbnbWhileBlack became an inflexion point that drove Airbnb to confront the reality that, despite the companies mission of “belonging”; underrepresented groups feel like *do not belong* on Airbnb.
Benjamin Evans joined Airbnb to lead design for their Anti-discrimination team. His job was to set up a product team whose mission is to see if it’s possible to use design to tackle discrimination
In this talk at IxDA‘s Interaction’20, Benjamin shares an action-focused case-study about his team’s work to remove profile photos from the Airbnb experience. The story will highlight how he used a relatively small UI/UX change that:
- Reduced discrimination across our global community.
- Boosted business metrics (despite evidence to the contrary)
- Drove a shift in our company culture that helped us move closer to our mission of “belonging.”
The audience will leave with a nuanced understanding of the role that bias plays in their workflows, the insight that even the simplest UI/UX change can lead to dramatic effects, and with a simple tool that they can use to make more inclusive product decisions.
What removing profile photos taught me about design’s ability to reduce discrimination
About Benjamin Evans
Benjamin Earl Evans is a inclusive design lead – a new generation of problem solvers tackling issues like racism, sexism and bias. He uses Design Thinking to help everyone – from creative professionals to business leaders – create more inclusive products and services. Currently, he works as design lead for Airbnb’s anti discrimination team.
