I've shared before that I believe the systems we create should invite and embrace a diversity of personal identities, ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds. Whether it’s a product, a service, or a process, diversity isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s a critical factor for reducing harm, increasing value, and minimizing risk.
So why does diversity matter in product teams and user testing? I want to briefly share how it shapes outcomes for companies, users, and society.
1. Diversity Reduces Harm
When systems are designed and tested by homogeneous teams, there’s a greater risk of blind spots. Those blind spots can lead to unintentional harm:
- Exclusionary design: Products might fail to meet the needs of marginalized or underserved groups, creating barriers instead of breaking them.
- Bias in algorithms: Without diverse perspectives, we risk embedding harmful stereotypes into AI, automation, or decision-making systems.
- Insensitive messaging: Marketing campaigns and user flows can unintentionally alienate or offend when they lack cultural awareness.
Testing with diverse communities helps us identify these risks early and adjust before harm occurs. By inviting different voices to the table, we create systems that don’t just “work for most people”—they work for all people.
💡 Real-world examples:
The takeaway: Diverse input reduces the likelihood of harmful oversights and builds trust with your users.
2. Diversity Increases Value
Innovation thrives on diversity. When people from varied backgrounds come together, they bring unique perspectives that lead to richer ideas and more creative problem-solving.
- Broader insights: A diverse product team understands a wider range of user needs, pain points, and aspirations.
- Innovative solutions: Different ways of thinking challenge groupthink, pushing teams toward ideas that might not have been considered otherwise.
- Market appeal and reach: Products built with inclusivity in mind appeal to broader audiences, driving adoption and loyalty. The easiest way to wrap some people's heads around this is by creating to support multiple languages to capture new audiences.
💡 Real-world examples:
The takeaway: Diverse teams and testing lead to stronger products that resonate with a wider audience, increasing user satisfaction and long-term success.
3. Diversity Reduces Company Risk
The risks of not prioritizing diversity are significant:
- Reputation damage: Products or campaigns that miss the mark on inclusivity can lead to public backlash, damaging trust and brand perception.
- Regulatory challenges: With increasing scrutiny around accessibility and inclusivity, failing to meet diverse user needs could result in legal and regulatory consequences.
- Missed opportunities: Homogeneous teams often overlook untapped markets and user segments, leaving value on the table. The same goes for homogenous research subject groups– testing with only people from certain groups provides biased results and could miss integral information.
Testing with diverse communities and incorporating inclusive practices throughout the product lifecycle reduces these risks. Proactively addressing potential issues ensures companies stay ahead of challenges rather than scrambling to fix them after harm has been done.
💡 Real-world examples:
- While working for a large Canadian telecom, I was one of two people tasked with making several online videos and PDFs screen-reader accessible (or to create screen reader alternatives) by a specific date, as mandated by the Canadian government.
- Accessibility lawsuits in recent years have highlighted the risks companies face when products don’t meet inclusive standards. Investing in diversity upfront saves resources and protects reputation in the long run.
- While working at one company, we had the opportunity to partner with Microsoft, but they would only sign with us if we completed a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) and then worked to improve it. If we hadn't improved our accessibility rating to within acceptable limits for Microsoft, they would have been within grounds to walk away from our deal, causing us to lose out on a lot of revenue and the PR benefit of working with them.
The takeaway: Prioritizing diversity mitigates risk, ensures compliance, and demonstrates a commitment to ethical and responsible innovation.
4. How to Build Diversity into Your Product Process
Diversity isn’t a checkbox—it’s an ongoing commitment. Here are practical steps to foster inclusivity in your product development lifecycle:
- Build diverse teams: Hire people with varied identities, experiences, and perspectives. Empower them to contribute meaningfully by fostering an inclusive workplace culture.
- Test with diverse communities: Don’t just rely on internal teams—engage with users from different demographics, geographies, and lived experiences to ensure your product works for everyone.
- Embed diversity in decision-making: Consider inclusivity at every stage, from ideation to launch. Create frameworks to evaluate the impact of decisions on different user groups.
- Educate and train teams: Provide regular training on unconscious bias, accessibility standards, and inclusive design practices.
- Measure and iterate: Collect data on how well your product serves diverse audiences. Use feedback to continuously improve and iterate.
5. The Opportunity Ahead
By committing to diversity, we’re not just creating better products—we’re simultaneously building a better world and creating business value. A world where more people feel seen, valued, and empowered by the tools and systems we design.
Diverse teams and inclusive testing aren’t just ethical imperatives—they’re strategic advantages. They allow us to anticipate user needs, avoid pitfalls, and create products that truly make an impact.
When we embrace diversity, we don’t just reduce harm, increase value, or mitigate risk. We create products that reflect the richness of humanity itself—products that connect, empower, and inspire.
What steps are you taking to ensure diversity in your product teams or testing processes? Let me know on LinkedIn.
