Part 3: Digital technologies and social inclusion (Research Frontiers)

Summary

This script discusses strategies for promoting social inclusion in digital technologies. It highlights the importance of implicit bias training to raise awareness and prevent discrimination in the workplace, yet acknowledges its limitations, such as depoliticizing inequality and short-lived effects. The script also introduces Gender Magnifier, a tool that enhances cognitive walkthroughs by incorporating gender perspectives to ensure digital systems are designed with inclusivity in mind. Despite potential drawbacks, such as niche uptake and the risk of reinforcing stereotypes, the script urges a reflexive approach to technology design to ensure equal access and benefit for all.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Implicit bias training is a method to increase awareness of unconscious attitudes that influence behavior, such as stereotyping and the halo effect.
• 👮‍♂️ Implicit bias training is popular in sectors like police departments and HR, including in hiring processes within software development companies.
• 👥 The goal of implicit bias training is to discuss assumptions and their impact on behavior and decision-making, including in areas like online code contributions.
• 🔍 Research suggests that women's code contributions are accepted more often when their gender is not identifiable, indicating the presence of gender bias.
• 🚫 Despite its benefits, implicit bias training has limitations, such as focusing on individuals and ignoring structural inequalities.
• 🔄 There are concerns about the longevity of the effects of implicit bias training, with some studies showing reduced impact within hours to days.
• 🛠️ Changing practices and processes in software development is another approach to improve social inclusion and equality.
• 🔧 Gender Magnifier is a proposal for more inclusive design practices, adding a gender perspective to usability evaluations like cognitive walkthroughs.
• 👤 User archetypes or personas are used in Gender Magnifier to represent different gender values and challenge stereotyping in software design.
• 📊 Gender Magnifier is based on studies that suggest gender differences in task accomplishment, such as women being more risk-averse.
• 🤔 There are drawbacks to Gender Magnifier, including questions about its uptake and the potential for reinforcing socially constructed gender differences.
• 🌐 The study of social inclusion and digital technologies is crucial for creating a more equal society and preventing biases in technology design.

Q & A

What are implicit biases and how do they influence behavior?

Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes or perceptions that influence our behavior without us realizing it. They can manifest in various forms, such as stereotyping or the halo effect, where certain assumptions about individuals or groups can lead to biased judgments.

Can you provide an example of stereotyping as an implicit bias?

An example of stereotyping is the belief that Spanish people are lazy because they traditionally take siestas. This generalization can lead to unfair treatment or assumptions about individuals based on their nationality.

What is the halo effect in the context of implicit biases?

The halo effect is a type of implicit bias where a positive quality in a person leads to the assumption of other positive qualities. For instance, attractive individuals might be perceived as more successful, regardless of their actual achievements.

How can implicit bias training help in the workplace?

Implicit bias training aims to increase awareness of our own biases and helps individuals recognize how these biases can influence their behavior and decision-making. It is particularly relevant in hiring processes and team dynamics to ensure fair treatment of all colleagues.

What is the connection between implicit bias and online code contributions?

Research suggests that women's online code contributions, such as pull requests, tend to be accepted more often than men's, but only when their gender is not identifiable. Implicit bias training can help to reduce discrimination against women's contributions in such environments.

What are some criticisms of implicit bias training?

Criticisms of implicit bias training include its focus on the individual, which can erase structural inequality and avoid addressing bigger issues that sustain inequality. Additionally, some studies suggest that the effects of such training may be short-lived, reducing its potential for long-term change.

What is Gender Magnifier and how does it relate to cognitive walkthrough?

Gender Magnifier is a proposal for changing how digital systems are designed to be more reflective of social inclusion and equality. It is an addition to cognitive walkthrough, a method for evaluating the usability of system designs by observing users accomplishing tasks. Gender Magnifier adds a gender perspective to this process.

How does Gender Magnifier address gender differences in problem-solving tasks?

Gender Magnifier incorporates user archetypes or personas that represent different gender characteristics to evaluate how gender differences influence problem-solving tasks. It uses these personas to design systems that are more inclusive and adapted to a diverse user base.

What are the potential drawbacks of using Gender Magnifier?

Drawbacks of Gender Magnifier include the risk of it remaining a niche approach compared to more established methods like cognitive walkthrough, and the potential for reinforcing gender stereotypes if not implemented thoughtfully.

What is the purpose of cognitive walkthrough in software engineering?

The purpose of cognitive walkthrough is to evaluate the usability of a system design by determining if the goals and tasks of the software are clear to users and if they can efficiently accomplish their tasks using the system's functionality.

How can software teams ensure that their digital technologies are inclusive and prevent biases?

Software teams can ensure inclusivity and prevent biases by becoming reflexive about the design of technologies, implementing practices like implicit bias training and Gender Magnifier, and establishing policies that promote equality and open access to digital benefits for all.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Implicit Bias Training and Its Limitations

The first paragraph discusses the concept of implicit bias training, which aims to increase awareness of unconscious attitudes that influence behavior. Implicit biases include stereotyping and the halo effect, and the training is popular in various sectors, including police departments and HR in software development companies. The paragraph highlights the importance of avoiding implicit bias in areas like online code contributions, referencing a study that shows women's contributions are more likely to be accepted when their gender is not identifiable. However, it also points out significant issues with such training, such as its focus on individuals rather than structural inequality and the short-lived effects of the training, which may only last a few hours to days.

05:00

🔍 Enhancing Inclusive Design with Gender Magnifier

The second paragraph delves into the approach of changing software development practices to promote social inclusion and equality. It introduces Gender Magnifier, a proposal that adds a gender perspective to cognitive walkthroughs, which are used to evaluate the usability of system designs. Gender Magnifier incorporates user archetypes or personas to consider gender differences in problem-solving tasks. The paragraph discusses the potential of this method to challenge stereotyping and to help designers create more inclusive systems. It also acknowledges the potential drawbacks, such as the limited uptake of Gender Magnifier compared to other methods and the risk of reinforcing socially constructed gender differences or stereotypes.

Keywords

💡Implicit Bias

Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding or behavior towards others. In the video, it is discussed as a factor that influences actions and decisions, such as in hiring processes or software development teams. The script mentions how implicit bias training can help individuals become aware of these biases to avoid unfair treatment of colleagues.

💡Stereotyping

Stereotyping is the act of making generalized beliefs about a group of people. The script uses the example of the stereotype that 'Spanish people are lazy' due to the tradition of siestas, illustrating how stereotypes can be an example of implicit bias that needs to be addressed.

💡Halo Effect

The halo effect is a cognitive bias where the perception of one positive quality in a person influences the perception of other qualities. The video script explains this concept by noting that attractive people are often assumed to be more successful, highlighting how this effect can contribute to implicit bias.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion in the context of the video refers to the practice of ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background, feel welcomed and valued in a workplace or community. Implicit bias training is mentioned as a way to improve inclusion by making people aware of their biases that could lead to unfair treatment.

💡Gender Bias

Gender bias is a form of discrimination based on a person's gender. The script discusses how gender bias can affect areas such as open source software contributions, where women's pull requests are accepted more often when their gender is not identifiable, indicating a need for awareness and training to counteract such bias.

💡Cognitive Walker

Cognitive Walker is a method used to evaluate the usability of system designs by observing whether users can accomplish tasks efficiently and understand the functionality. The video script mentions it as a basis for Gender Magnifier, which adds a dimension of gender inclusivity to the evaluation process.

💡Gender Magnifier

Gender Magnifier is a proposal to enhance the design of digital systems by incorporating gender differences into the evaluation process. It builds on Cognitive Walker by adding user archetypes or personas that reflect gender-specific characteristics to ensure designs are inclusive and do not perpetuate stereotypes.

💡User Archetypes

User archetypes, or personas, are fictional characters created to represent the different types of users of a system. In the script, Gender Magnifier uses these archetypes to consider gender differences in task accomplishment, aiming to design systems that are more inclusive and reflective of a diverse user base.

💡Risk Aversion

Risk aversion is the preference for avoiding risk where people are more likely to choose options with lower potential rewards to minimize the possibility of loss. The video script cites studies suggesting that women are statistically more risk-averse, which influences how they accomplish tasks and is considered in the design process by Gender Magnifier.

💡Depoliticizes Inequality

Depoliticizing inequality refers to the act of removing political or structural considerations from discussions about inequality. The script points out that focusing on individual implicit bias training can depoliticize inequality by avoiding discussions about wider societal or institutional factors that contribute to it.

💡Social Inclusion

Social inclusion is the process of creating an environment where all individuals have equal opportunities and feel a sense of belonging. The video emphasizes the importance of social inclusion in digital technologies, suggesting that reflexive practices and policies are needed to ensure technology benefits everyone.

Highlights

Implicit bias training is a method to address unconscious attitudes that influence behavior.

Stereotyping and the halo effect are examples of implicit biases that can affect perceptions of others.

Implicit bias training aims to increase awareness and avoid unfair treatment of colleagues.

The training is popular in US police departments and HR departments involved in hiring processes.

Implicit bias training can help avoid discrimination against women's code contributions in software development.

There are significant issues with implicit bias training, such as erasing structural inequality and depoliticizing inequality.

Studies suggest that the effects of implicit bias training may diminish within hours to days.

Changing practices and processes in software development can impact social inclusion and equality.

Gender Magnifier is a proposal to change design practices to be more reflective of social inclusion.

Cognitive Walker is a method to evaluate the usability of system designs, which Gender Magnifier builds upon.

Gender Magnifier uses personas to consider gender differences in problem-solving tasks.

The use of personas helps designers adapt their designs to different user requirements.

Gender Magnifier proposes designing systems with personas that challenge stereotyping.

There are concerns about the uptake and effectiveness of Gender Magnifier compared to established methods.

Gender Magnifier must balance addressing gender differences without reinforcing socially constructed stereotypes.

The study of social inclusion in digital technologies is crucial for creating an equal society.

Software teams should be reflexive about technology design and policies to ensure digital inclusivity.

The benefits of technology should be accessible to everyone, preventing biases and inequality reproduction.

Transcripts

in this part we will look at two options

of actions at two different units of

analysis the individual and the level of

practices and

processes at the individual level you

can do implicit bias training implicit

biases are inconscious attitudes or

perceptions that influence or behavior

there are different types of such biases

such as stereotyping where you believe

in general beliefs about people for

example that Spanish people are lazy

because Spanish people used to do

siestas another example of implicit bias

is the halo effect where you perceive a

positive quality in a person and assume

other positive quali in them for example

people who are perceived to be

attractive or for to be more successful

one way to improve the inclusion of

people in the workforce is to train

ourselves to avoid having implicit

biases this would avoid treating our

colleagues

unfairly implicit bios training

increases our awareness of our own

bioses it's very popular right now

across police departments in the US or

within the HR departments involved in

the hiring processes within software

development companies but it would also

be helpful within software development

teams the point of this training is for

people to talk in class about their

assumptions and how these influence

their behavior and decision- making

process one example applicable to

software development is to avoid

implicit bias in online code

contributions termed as pool requests in

their paper teral suggest that women's

pool requests tend to be accepted more

often than men's yet women's acceptance

rates are higher only when they are not

identifiable as women in the context of

existing theories of gender in the

workplace plausible explanations include

the presence of gender bias in open

source survivorship and self- selection

bias and women being held to higher

performance

standards implicit bias training would

help not discriminate against women's

Cod contributions great so implicit bios

training could do wonders here so let's

go for implicit bios training

unfortunately there is no Silver Bullet

there are significant issues with such

training pretty

suggest a number of them one such issue

is that the focus on the individual

erases structural inequality it avoids

talking about bigger issues that sustain

inequality in the first place and puts

the blame on

individuals in other words it

depoliticizes inequality we don't need

to look at the wider context or the

institutions let's just look at people

two even though implicit bios training

has been seen to be successful at the

individual level there are some studies

that suggest that the effects of such

training are reduced after a few hours

to a few days putting in doubt the

long-term positive change this training

can have so Solutions at the individual

level matter but they're not sufficient

let's look now at how changing practices

and processes in software development

itself could have an impact one way to

do this is to create design practices

and processes that are more reflective

of social inclusion and

equality gender mag gender magnifier is

a proposal in changing how we carry out

design of digital systems gender mag

itself is an addition to cognitive workr

which is a way to evaluate the usability

of system designs basically we try to

find out whether the goals and tasks of

software are clear to the users do users

manage to accomplish their tasks

efficiently do they know the

functionality we can evaluate this

through a process where we ask users to

accomplish certain tasks and we evaluate

if users have made progress towards

accomplishing those tasks so gender mag

comes and tries to solve some issues

with cognitive workr for example for

Reliance on abstract and general users

which avoid taking into account gender

differences a typical user would be say

users drawing money from an ATM machine

and very often users are identified as

men and the features that are designed

favor them this wouldn't take into

account issues of insecurity for example

when withd drawing cash from an ATM

machine so gender mag adds an inclusive

Dimension to cognitive workr by taking

into account specifically how gender

differences influence problem solving

tasks right the purpose of cognitive

workr is to see how users manage to

solve tasks and gender mags applies a

gender perspective in problem solving

tasks gender Mac does this by adding

user archetypes or what's called

personas to cognitive workr personas are

increasingly used to think about user

requirements in software engineering

it's a way to abstract users according

to certain criteria but you want to

influence Your Design this helps

designers then think of how to cater how

to adapt the design to these different

uses gender ma draws from suggested

gender differences in how computers are

used to achieve tasks such as risk

aversion for example the office of

gender ma build on studies that suggest

that women are statistically more risk

averse which influences how they

accomplish tasks gender Mac proposes

that we Design Systems with a number of

typical personas there are four Tim Abby

Patricia and Patrick the two PS Tim has

facet values typically associated with

men Abby has facet values typically

associated with women but two PS

Patricia andat

are identical except for gender they

combine values associated with men and

women which helps challenge stereotyping

in the words of the office how can

ordinary practitioners with no

background in gender research identify

which aspects of their software have

gender inclusiveness issues realize why

those issues are issues and thereby know

what they should

change so just so that you have an idea

of how it works here is an example of a

Persona of Pat and their specific task

accomplishment and information retrieval

characteristics this is then used to

test the design of the systems and see

if they are adapted to such users just

as we've implicit by training gender mag

and other approaches that Target

practices have some drawbacks the first

one is whether these are going to see

any significant uptake gender Mar

remains Niche compared to cognitive

walkthrough also the differences in task

accomplishment between men and women may

be statistical but do they also perform

them we may end up in the tricky

position but we are also reproducing

gender differences or stereotypes that

are socially constructed so in

conclusion the study of social inclusion

and digital Technologies is an extremely

important research topic nowadays there

is better recognition of how an equal

Society is and the costs associated with

that inequality we have looked at two

ways that can help software teams work

better together and how we can design

digital Technologies in a way that

prevents biases or the repr production

of inequality for all of you I would

suggest that you become reflexive about

how Technologies designed and what

policies are or should be put in place

to make sure that the digital is open to

everybody and that we can all share from

the benefits of Technology